The Final Conflict
by Reese1
Summary: Scarlett leads a band of surviving Joes in a last stand against a victorious Cobra.
1. Love Letters

**Originally written in 1998. I am the one who wrote that story on the Ultimate Cartoon Website, where all the Joes get killed and Duke and Scarlett hook up. I realized that it was a rather weak story in its original form and so I tried to make it better. On with the story…**

"He's gone into a coma."

With these words, tears fell down Scarlett's face and landed on Duke's as Scarlett cradled his head. Nearby, Lieutenant Falcon stared in shock as Duke's hand slipped out of his.

"Duke," Scarlett whispered sadly. An emptiness opened up inside her heart, and she felt herself falling into a void. She had never felt so frightened before. For the first time in her life, she faced the idea of losing someone she cared deeply for. She looked up at Falcon and their eyes met briefly. General Hawk touched Falcon's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Falcon," he said, "We'll do everything we can... for Duke."

Scarlett watched as Doc and Barbeque carried Duke back to headquarters. A surge of emotions welled up within her, and they all pointed to one undeniable truth. Something she had avoided facing for all the years she had known Duke. They had always been close friends, but suddenly it all meant so much more.

"Duke," Scarlett said in an eager whisper. Dressed in her familiar JOE uniform, Scarlett touched Duke's forehead with one gloved hand and clasped his hand with the other.

"You okay?" she asked.

Duke blinked several times, as if in a daze. Then he recognized Scarlett, and smiled. He was in the G.I. JOE hospital recovering from the snake- spear wound that had nearly killed him several days before. His chest was heavily bandaged.

"Doc tells me we won."

"We did win, Duke. Falcon saved us all."

Scarlett paused. Her eyes were downcast.

"I'm so glad you're all right. I --"

Duke looked at her, waiting for her to finish what she had to say. Scarlett meant to tell him how she felt about him, that she loved him. But she could not bring herself to say the words.

"--we were all worried for you." Scarlett said instead. Duke squeezed her hand and Scarlett got up to leave.

Dear Scarlett,

If you only knew how I tremble inside when you walk in the room! The way you carry yourself, your confidence, your warmth and friendliness, touch something within me. I see you worry for Duke. You walk into this room down and a little unhappy, and I know where you've been. You've been to see him at the hospital.

Today I saw you at dinner. You sat with Flint and Lady Jaye. I wish you would sit with me more often! I saw you today, and from the look on your face, I knew that something was different. Something was wrong.

They say Duke is leaving G.I. JOE.

I imagine you are hurting. What will become of you and him?

Scarlett, I wish I could heal the pain in your heart. More than that, I wish I knew how I could touch your heart in the way that Duke did. I wish I knew how to find the wellspring of love that lies within. I see glimpses of your love everyday. You are always patient and kind. You always trust, you always persevere in the face of all discouragement. There is so much beauty in you. You are so amazingly beautiful, sweet, generous, caring, and kindhearted. I want to find out what inspires you, and fill up that part of myself with it.

I can't help the way I feel about you. The way I have always felt about you since the day we first met.

Scarlett, I love you.

-Snake Eyes

Scarlett and Duke walked silently to the bus terminal together. In ten minutes, a bus would come that would take Duke home to his family in Iowa.

"Tell me again why you're leaving."

"So I can be with my family. So I can have time to myself and figure out what I am going to do next. I nearly died out there last month."

"I know," Scarlett said.

"I can't be an active combat soldier any longer. The injuries were permanent and disabling."

"But you could still remain with the team," Scarlett said, knowing that Duke's mind was made up.

"We could use good officers like you."

"I know," Duke said, "it's just that… well, sometimes something happens that makes you reevaluate what you want to do in life. There's more to life than sitting behind a desk and giving orders, right?"

"I'll miss you," Scarlett said, looking into Duke's eyes. She thought about all their missions together, all the things that they had done for each other. What did it mean? Did it count for anything at all? After all this time, didn't it mean that they were always meant to be together?

"Scarlett, I…" Duke paused in mid-sentence. He appeared conflicted, confused, and ambivalent.

"Maybe we'll meet again some day. I'll come and visit you."

"Sure," Scarlett said. She wanted to throw her arms around him and tell him, stop it, don't you know that you love me, and that I love you too? How could you leave us? How could you leave me, your best friend, your companion through thick and thin, the one woman who cares for you like no other? Scarlett wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him. She would tell him in doing so just how much he would lose, how much happiness he would throw away in leaving.

It can't end like this, she thought.

But in life, this is the way things are. Sometimes things do end this way. What if I never see him again? Can I even imagine such a thing happening?

The bus pulled into the stop. A few men waiting nearby grabbed their duffel bags and stepped aboard. Duke looked to the bus.

"It's time to say good-bye. Good-bye," he said.

Scarlett hugged him, and he put his arms around her.

As she kissed him on the cheek good-bye, Scarlett felt a piece of herself being torn from her. She knew instinctively that nothing would be the same again.

"Wonder what he writes in that little notebook of his," Flint said as he looked at Snake Eyes from the other end of the mess hall.

The Joes were waiting for their dinner, and during the waiting time, Snake Eyes had decided to pull out his notebook and begin writing.

"He always does that?" Lady Jaye asked Flint as they sat together at a table with Stalker and Ace.

"It's probably something personal," Stalker said.

"You know Snake Eyes better than a lot of us. Is something bothering him?"

"I didn't say I know everything about him," Stalker said, grinning. "He still keeps to himself."

However, noticing the way Snake Eyes occasionally glanced in Scarlett's direction, Stalker could guess what or who was on his mind.

He loves her, Stalker thought to himself…

…I always have loved you, Scarlett. When you look at me and smile, when you speak to me, when you touch me at all, my heart feels such enormous rapture. I could grow wings and take flight. But you do not love me, I think. There must be some way I can show proof of the strength and truth of my feelings for you. There must be some way I can demonstrate my feelings for you, and you would know the depth of my feeling for you. Somehow, I would touch your heart.

Snake Eyes signed the letter and placed it within his notebook with the other letters he had written to Scarlett, but which she had never read.


	2. Cobra Triumphant

Eight months had passed. Hawk paced back and forth before the Joes assembled in the meeting room.  
  
"As you all know, one of our ambassadors to the Middle East was kidnapped last week. Intelligence reports indicate he is currently being held on a secret base located in the Florida Keys. In addition, Cobra is rebuilding a huge arsenal of missiles poised to strike multiple targets all across the U.S."  
  
A tactical map of the island appeared on the projector screen behind Hawk.  
  
"We handed Cobra a severe defeat at Cobra-La, but Cobra remains a threat. The majority of our forces will be mobilized immediately for an all-out assault that we hope will destroy Cobra for good.  
  
"An aerial strike will take down their missile arsenal, while a ground force will pull out Ambassador Newman from below. The rest of the team will guard the base here. Any questions? All right, then. Move it out!"  
  
"YO JOE!!!" Everyone in the room said in unison as they got up to go.  
  
The fleet of Tomahawk choppers and Sky Strikers streaked toward the solitary island off the coast of Florida like a procession of avenging angels.  
  
Scarlett sat next to Snake Eyes in a Tomahawk chopper, along with the rest of the ground combat team: Low Light, Mainframe, and Beach Head. Low Light was polishing his sniper scope rifle, while Mainframe was dozing off, his head shaking with the movements of the chopper. Beach Head sat there glaring at Mainframe. In the chopper to the right, Scarlett could see Falcon with the "Rawhide" gang: Jinx, Big Lob, Tunnel Rat, Chuckles, and Law and Order. The chopper to the left held Flint, Lady Jaye, Gung Ho, Alpine, and Bazooka. Hawk, piloting a Sky Striker, led the others in the aerial force.  
  
The island was coming up fast on everyone's sights.  
  
"Sky Strikers, pour it on!" Hawk shouted through the intercom as the Sky Strikers screamed ahead at full speed. Scarlett anxiously observed the action through a pair of binoculars.  
  
There were several batteries of missiles scattered in various places throughout the small island. The island consisted of a single mountain- like edifice protected by the missile and gun batteries, and surrounded mostly by forest. The Sky Strikers launched the first salvo of missiles and explosions rocked the island. There was no sign of resistance.  
  
Meanwhile, at 15,000 feet above the G.I. JOE base in North Carolina, the crew of a Cobra transport plane was getting ready for action.  
  
"Only G.I. JOE stands in the way of our eventual triumph. We must destroy them," Serpentor announced to his army of Vipers. Behind him was a telescreen showing Dr. Mindbender, Zartan, Zandar, Zarana, and the Dreadnoks.  
  
"Dr. Mindbender informs me that the Joes are falling right into our hands, as planned. G.I. JOE headquarters is ripe for annihilation! Vipers, prepare to parachute!"  
  
Serpentor turned to the last of his elite: Destro, Baroness, Tomax, and Xamot.  
  
"You will accompany me in the flight pods."  
  
"COBRA!!!"  
  
The five raised their fists together.  
  
"Oh, man, I am getting one huge friggin' signal," Breaker shouted to the others manning the communications tower at G.I. JOE headquarters.  
  
"What is it, man?" Roadblock went over to Breaker's station.  
  
"Looks like a giant transport vessel, five miles away and closing. It's Cobra." Breaker said, finishing by blowing a giant bubble, which popped loudly.  
  
Roadblock turned to the others crowded around Breaker's console.  
  
"Sound the alert!"  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett and the rest of the ground forces were on the move. They moved through the forest like wraiths and finally arrived at a sealed door to the mountain.  
  
"Mainframe," Flint motioned quickly with a flick of his wrist.  
  
"I'm on it," Mainframe said as he ran up to the front. He opened up the door controls and after deftly performing some strategic cutting and cross- wiring, the door slithered open. Low Light and Snake Eyes had the point. They aimed their guns in readiness from a kneeling position as the door opened. No one. The darkness was thick, punctured only intermittently by a few weak lights lining the steel covered hall.  
  
"Man, I've got a bad feeling about this place," Alpine said with a shudder.  
  
"Beach Head," Flint called. "You, Alpine, Bazooka, and Gung Ho guard this entrance. I don't want anyone following us in. You got that?"  
  
Beach Head pulled up his M-16. "I got it."  
  
With Low Light and Snake Eyes at point, Scarlett, Mainframe, Flint, Lady Jaye, Falcon, Tunnel Rat, Big Lob, Jinx, Chuckles, and Law and Order proceeded further inside. They reached a darkened circular room, where a man sat tied up and gagged in a chair. Order began barking wildly.  
  
"Law, shut the damn dog up!" Flint hissed.  
  
"Something's not right here, man. Order's freaked." Law said, trying to calm his dog.  
  
Big Lob and Tunnel Rat moved to untie the ambassador and remove the gag.  
  
The ambassador suddenly pulled out two pistols with each hand and shot Big Lob and Tunnel Rat in the head. Before the other Joes had any time to react, the lights in the room suddenly came on, blinding everyone momentarily. Big Lob and Tunnel Rat lay on the floor, dead.  
  
Flint's hand-held radio came to life. Hawk's voice could be heard.  
  
"Flint," he said, "Abort. Do you copy? Those missiles are FAKES - they're nothing but a bunch of empty shells, do you hear me? We're being ambushed by Cobra RAVENS up here! Get back to the choppers right away. Abort!! Do you copy?"  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"I got a bogey on my tail," Hawk said, his voice frantic. "It—AAARRRRRGGHHH!!!!"  
  
The radio went deathly silent.  
  
"Hawk?" Flint said in disbelief. "Hawk, talk to me!"  
  
"Ah, our heroes realize too late that they've walked into a trap," the ambassador said, and before the Joes' eyes, Newman's body became enveloped by a strange light, dissolving into the form of Zartan.  
  
"The REAL Newman is lying at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean," Dr. Mindbender's voice called out. Several squads of heavily armed Cobra soldiers had the Joes surrounded from all sides, from an elevated platform. Zandar and Zarana stepped forward, guns raised.  
  
"Now, drop your weapons, or you will all die." Dr. Mindbender said with a sinister smile.  
  
Scarlett looked over uneasily at her teammates. Was this the end?  
  
A bazooka blast suddenly came shooting out of the tunnel, destroying a chunk of the elevated platform where some of the Cobra troops were standing. Screaming, they fell off. Mindbender stood fast, as did the remaining troops.  
  
"Yo Joe, move, move, MOVE!!!" Alpine shouted at Scarlett, Flint, and the others. He, Bazooka, Gung Ho, and Beach Head stood at the tunnel exit from which Flint's squad had emerged minutes before. Evidently, the four had followed them in.  
  
Then everything went crazy.  
  
The Cobra troops opened fire on the Joes, who were not yet at the entrance to the tunnel, which led outside. Mainframe was the first to withdraw from the circular arena-like space before a solid steel door came closing down, cutting off the Joes' escape.  
  
The Joes were sitting ducks.  
  
"Beach Head, get us the hell out of here!" Flint desperately shouted into his com.  
  
Law and Order were both cut down in a merciless rain of bullets. As Scarlett and Flint fired at the enemy, Falcon got caught up in the rush of battle.  
  
"DIE YOU COBRA BASTARDS!!!!!" Falcon rolled and dove across the floor, along with Snake Eyes, like a maniac, cutting down Cobra troops from both sides.  
  
Low Light picked off Zandar with a fatal shot to the head, before a Cobra troop turned downed him with a shot to the stomach. Another Cobra soldier shot Chuckles, wounding him in the arm.  
  
From the other end of the door, Beach Head motioned to Bazooka, who aimed his bazooka weapon and prepared to fire.  
  
"Get back from the door, Bazooka's gonna blow the sucker open!!!" Beach Head screamed into his com.  
  
Beach Head and the others ran a safe distance away from the door.  
  
"Fire in the hole!" Bazooka shouted.  
  
From Scarlett's side of the door, the door suddenly came bursting open in a ball of fire and shards of metal and shrapnel.  
  
"Fall back, Joes, FALL BACK!!!" Flint shouted as he and Lady Jaye took up positions at both ends of the now defunct door and laid down a heavy rain of cover fire. Falcon, Jinx, and Chuckles made their escape from the trap. Scarlett ran the few yards between her and the downed Low Light. A pool of blood was forming under Low Light's body.  
  
"Hang on, Low Light, I'm getting you out of here," Scarlett exclaimed to the delirious Low Light before she and Low Light were both hit and went down.  
  
Snake Eyes saw Scarlett go down and he rushed to her side. Scarlett had been shot in the shoulder, while Low Light had been killed. A Cobra machine gunner was raking the floor with bullets. Without thinking, Snake Eyes dove onto Scarlett's body to protect her. He winced in pain as he felt two—no, three bullets hit him. He felt pain in his left shoulder, side, and leg.  
  
Beneath Snake Eyes, Scarlett, in a slight daze, realized what Snake Eyes had just done. She would surely have died if he had not intervened and sacrificed his own body for her.  
  
"Snake Eyes…" Scarlett said in amazement.  
  
"Snake Eyes! Scarlett!" Flint cried.  
  
Turning to Lady Jaye, Flint said, "We have to get them out!"  
  
Flint and Lady Jaye ran from the entrance to the center of the room, while Beach Head and Falcon tried to cover them from the blown entrance. Under fire, Flint grabbed Snake Eyes, while Lady Jaye helped Scarlett to her feet.  
  
"I can walk," Scarlett said.  
  
"Then let's haul ass!" Lady Jaye shouted. She and Scarlett ran for the door while Flint helped a limping Snake Eyes, right behind them.  
  
From behind the cover of a fallen segment of metal platform, Zartan took careful aim with a rifle and blasted Flint in the back.  
  
Horrified, Lady Jaye screamed Flint's name and ran out to him. Scarlett turned and grabbed a hold of Snake Eyes as he fell from Flint's grasp. Catching him, Scarlett guided Snake Eyes' arm around her shoulders and helped him into the tunnel. Lady Jaye did the same for a staggering Flint.  
  
"Get going, we've got your rear covered!!!" Gung Ho said.  
  
As Gung Ho and Beach Head fell back, an enemy grenade explosion took them both out.  
  
"Gung Ho! Beach Head!" Scarlett called behind her.  
  
"They're gone!" Lady Jaye shouted.  
  
Moments after their escape from the mountain base, the Joes successfully evacuated the complex and got onto the Tomohawks. As the choppers lifted off, Cobra troops came out firing after them. The Stratovipers and Dreadnoks were in the air, harassing the Sky Strikers with the RAVENs and flight pods.  
  
None of that seemed to matter to Lady Jaye as she held Flint in her arms. .  
  
"Flint," Lady Jaye said, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
"Kiss my ass, man, I never thought I'd get hit," Flint said, blood trickling down his mouth. Everyone in the chopper knew that Flint only had a few moments left to live.  
  
"No, don't try to speak. You'll be fine. You'll see," Lady Jaye said.  
  
"I'm sorry," Flint said, his voice growing fainter.  
  
"Don't leave me, Flint, please don't leave me," Lady Jaye pleaded as Flint died in her arms.  
  
"I love you," Flint said with his last breath.  
  
Scarlett could hardly bear to watch. Grimacing with pain at her own wounded shoulder, she looked at Snake Eyes, who sat beside her. He was in much worse condition than she was, although thankfully not in as bad shape as Flint had been. Falcon, Jinx, and Mainframe bowed their heads in sorrow.  
  
"Hold on, Snake Eyes," Scarlett said, clasping his hand tightly.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Scarlett knew to expect disaster when she saw the smoking ruins of G.I. JOE headquarters. The Cobras had evidently come in, done their damage, and retreated to fight again another day. Everywhere, Scarlett could see charred Hovertanks and blown up aircraft. Bodies were strewn across the airfield. Windows were smashed, steel walls had been breached, and the stench of burning fuel filled the air.  
  
"Good God," Lady Jaye whispered in horror. Scarlett was too stunned to speak.  
  
They were all either dead or seriously wounded. Cover Girl was lying on her side, holding a bloodied M-16 in her hands. She had been shot in the stomach.  
  
"Hold on, Cover Girl, we'll get you to a hospital," Lifeline tried to comfort her. The sounds of ambulances could be heard in the distance approaching.  
  
Leatherneck, Sergeant Slaughter, and Sci Fi were slumped over their machine guns, dead. Shipwreck had been shot in the chest, but was still alive.  
  
"Roadblock..." Hawk said. They ran to the command center. Road Block, Breaker, and Rock and Roll were there. They had all been killed.  
  
In the hospital, Shipwreck told his story. Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Falcon, and Jinx stood listening...  
  
* * *  
  
..."Deploy the Hovertanks!" Roadblock ordered.  
  
Cover Girl, riding the cannon seat, fired away at the oncoming Cobra foot soldiers and STUN vehicles, as Cross Country drove. Beside them, the Hovertank containing Quick Kick and Psyche Out exploded as a missile hit. Cross Country and Cover Girl barely had enough time to clear their Hovertank as another missile came bearing down on them. Nearby, the other Joes took cover behind makeshift barricades and tried to fend off the attackers with machine guns and rifles.  
  
The enemy flight pods streamed past them, taking out some JOE soldiers as they did so. The STUNs overran the barricades.  
  
"Their defenses are breached! DESTROY THEM!" Serpentor howled.  
  
Roadblock and Breaker turned as the door to the command center burst open. Both of them opened fire, cutting down a handful of Vipers and the Crimson Twins.  
  
Serpentor, Destro, and the Baroness took cover and returned fire, killing Breaker and Rock and Roll and wounding Roadblock with a hit to the stomach.  
  
Grabbing Roadblock by the collar of his shirt, Serpentor raised him high into the air. Roadblock groaned in pain.  
  
"We have broken you now. You Joes cannot resist the rising tide of Cobra that will sweep across the world. No matter how vigorously you oppose us, you will fail, because evil will always live in the hearts of men. Hatred and enmity last forever... That is our power. Don't you understand that by now, you feeble worm?"  
  
Roadblock, trembling in Serpentor's vise-like grip, spat as hard as he could into Serpentor's face. Serpentor, enraged, pulled out his dagger and with one quick motion, cut Roadblock's throat.  
  
* * *  
  
"Snake Eyes?"  
  
Snake Eyes awoke to find Scarlett standing over him at his hospital bedside, smiling warmly. Her shoulder was bandaged and she looked healthy. She held out for him a bouquet of red carnations.  
  
"Glad to see you're all right," Scarlett said, putting the flowers in a vase near his bed.  
  
"I want to thank you," Scarlett said softly, "for saving my life."  
  
"I was happy to do it," Snake Eyes said to her in sign language. "I would do it again."  
  
"But why?" Scarlett said. "How can I possibly deserve this?"  
  
Snake Eyes motioned to the little black composition notebook that lay next to the vase of flowers.  
  
"What's this?" Scarlett said, picking it up and opening it.  
  
"Read it," Snake Eyes signed, "I don't mind."  
  
Flipping through the book, Scarlett noted Snake Eyes writing about a myriad of subjects. He wrote about his family, his wartime experiences, and his time in G.I. JOE. Most of all, he wrote about her. He even had drawn a pencil sketch of her somewhere.  
  
"Cute drawing," Scarlett said with a smile, "wonder who that could be."  
  
A half dozen loose sheets of paper fell out from between the pages of the notebook. Curious, Scarlett bent down to pick them up. What she saw made her heart stop.  
  
They were letters addressed to her.  
  
"Snake Eyes?" Scarlett said, stunned.  
  
"I always imagined that someday you would read them," Snake Eyes said.  
  
Trembling, Scarlett read through the letters one by one. It was an overwhelming expression of devotion and caring for her. The words leapt from the pages straight into her heart. She had never known anyone to feel so strongly toward her, and she was deeply touched.  
  
"I have always loved you," Scarlett read out loud.  
  
"Snake Eyes," Scarlett whispered, "I… I don't know what to say… all this time we were in G.I. JOE, all these years… you felt this way about me?"  
  
Snake Eyes nodded, his penetrating gaze never leaving her eyes.  
  
He loved her quietly and from afar. He never complained, never let envy consume him. His love was completely selfless.  
  
"I never even knew," Scarlett said. She wasn't even sure if she loved him or not. She was almost afraid to love him, after what had happened between her and Duke.  
  
Scarlett gently took one of Snake Eyes' hands in her own. Leaning over the bedside, Scarlett bent over and kissed him on the forehead. Snake Eyes closed his eyes serenely.  
  
"Thank you," Scarlett said. "I'll visit you again soon."  
  
* * *  
  
Today was Scarlett's birthday, and she had never felt so alone. She sat quietly in her quarters, reading the card from her father and her brothers. She smiled.  
  
Elsewhere on the desk lay the most unimaginable thing she had ever read. It was a brief message from the generals at the Pentagon in charge of G.I. JOE.  
  
Cobra had won. G.I. JOE was broken. Their entire leadership was decimated. Hawk had been shot down in a Sky Striker, Flint had died in Lady Jaye's arms, Duke had retired from active duty, Sergeant Slaughter had fallen in the attack led by Serpentor, and Beach Head had been killed by a grenade.  
  
Until we can recruit a new generation of G.I. JOE members and new leaders, she, Scarlett, would temporarily be in charge of G.I. JOE. Never in a million years did Scarlett imagine herself running this outfit. Lieutenant Falcon would be second in command.  
  
Unbelievable.  
  
"Some birthday present," Scarlett mumbled to herself as she heard a knock on the door.  
  
It was Snake Eyes. His arm was in a sling and he had to use a crutch, but otherwise he was fine.  
  
"Snake Eyes, what can I do for you?" Scarlett said.  
  
"I brought this for you," Snake Eyes said, holding out a small wrapped box that fit in the palm of his hand.  
  
"You remembered," Scarlett said happily. "I didn't know if anyone here would remember."  
  
Accepting the present, Scarlett slowly opened it. It was a piece of jewelry.  
  
"Snake Eyes, I can't accept this. It's too precious a gift for me," she protested.  
  
Scarlett held in her hands a necklace. It consisted of a gold chain and a small symbolic carving, also made of gold. The carving was a circular object, representing the sun, Scarlett guessed. And a portion of the sun was blacked out.  
  
"It wasn't too precious," Snake Eyes signed. "I mean, it wasn't cheap, but it's not like I went out and spent my life savings."  
  
"Thank you," Scarlett said, smiling. "What does it mean?"  
  
"It's the sun and the moon," Snake Eyes said. "The sun and the moon together."  
  
Together.  
  
"So what am I, the sun?" Scarlett said, laughing. "And you're the moon. Light and darkness. Yin and Yang."  
  
Snake Eyes shrugged shyly.  
  
Scarlett slowly put the necklace on. She stepped forward into his arms and embraced him.  
  
"It's lovely," Scarlett said. "Thank you for remembering my birthday. Thank you for your gift. I will keep it with me always."  
  
For a time, all of her troubles and the troubles of everyone in G.I. JOE were forgotten as the two friends stood together.  
  
A new life had begun for them both. 


	3. Honor and Glory

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY  
  
In the shimmering glow of twilight, the small group of Joes stood together before the graves of their friends. Some of the bodies, such as those of Hawk, Gung Ho, Beach Head, and Low Light, could not be recovered. Their fresh graves bore their names all the same.  
  
One month had passed since the disastrous battle with Cobra. The G.I. JOE team, under Scarlett's leadership, maintained itself in a state of readiness, to the extent that it could. New recruits had come in and training had begun, but all the surviving Joes knew that their deceased friends could not be replaced. The strange thing was that Cobra had been completely silent and inactive. Scarlett could not find a single trace of Cobra activity anywhere in the world. They were waiting. They were planning something. She could not possibly know for sure, but she felt this instinctively.  
  
"Flint died for nothing," Lady Jaye said, walking up to the grave stone, which bore the name  
  
Faireborn, Dashiell R. "Flint"  
  
"All of our friends died for nothing," she said.  
  
Behind Lady Jaye, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Stalker, and Falcon watched solemnly. Jinx would have come along, but she had elected to use her leave time to pay a visit to her family in Japan. Each of the Joes present had different memories of their friends. Different ghosts who haunted them. Falcon vividly remembered the way Sergeant Slaughter had busted his chops, making him into a better soldier. Snake Eyes looked back to the day when a young colonel named Clayton Abernathy had come to his cabin with Stalker to recruit him for G.I. JOE. Scarlett thought of the missions she had shared with her old buddies, Rock 'N Roll and Breaker.  
  
Lady Jaye was consumed with painful thoughts of the love of her life. The wounds were still fresh.  
  
"Flint," Lady Jaye moaned miserably, "why did you have to leave me? How could you leave me like this? There's no honor, no glory. We were tricked. They trapped us and destroyed us. You didn't even die for your country. You died for nothing but a dirty trick."  
  
Stalker put a hand on Lady Jaye's shoulder.  
  
"It's just not fair," Lady Jaye said.  
  
"I know," Stalker said. "We know you and Flint loved each other. We know it's not fair. It's all right. Let it out."  
  
Lady Jaye's defenses broke down entirely, and she began sobbing inconsolably. She turned around and clutched at Stalker, and Stalker gently put his arms around her.  
  
"We were a family," Lady Jaye cried, "how could they tear us apart like this? How?"  
  
"Let it all out," Stalker said.  
  
* * *  
  
AMTRACK RAIL STATION – WASHINGTON, D.C.  
  
The train station was completely empty. There was not a soul in sight.  
  
Running through the spacious concourses, Scarlett's shoes echoed loudly on the floor as she looked in every direction.  
  
"Anybody here?" Scarlett cried out.  
  
They were all supposed to meet at the train station to take the train back to the Joe headquarters in Staten Island, New York. But now, not only were her teammates not there, the rest of the general population seemed to have disappeared.  
  
By now, Scarlett had forgotten where she was. She stood in front of a restaurant and bar and bent down, striving to catch her breath. Soon, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her.  
  
Looking up, Scarlett found Snake Eyes.  
  
"Snake Eyes, thank God I found you. Where you been?"  
  
"Looking for the others," Snake Eyes signed.  
  
"Everyone just disappeared all of a sudden. Where'd they all go?"  
  
Snake Eyes shrugged.  
  
"I don't like this," Scarlett said, walking up to him. "This is freaking me out."  
  
"Look," Snake Eyes pointed to a television at the bar that had been left on. The television was silent. It was on mute, and the captions were turned on. On the television screen, Scarlett and Snake Eyes watched the horrifying footage of people running and screaming. Some were bleeding. The camera was on the move and chaotic, as if the person filming was trying to run from something or someone.  
  
"What is this?"  
  
The television captions flashed across the screen.  
  
HUNDREDS OF INNOCENTS HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED KILLED HERE AT CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA  
  
Scarlett and Snake Eyes stared in shock.  
  
AT WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A ROUTINE NASA SHUTTLE LAUNCH, TERRORISTS HAVE ATTACKED WITH FULL MILITARY FORCE  
  
The camera fell to the ground, and someone wearing black boots came running toward the camera.  
  
SEIZING THE LAUNCH GROUNDS. THEY APPEAR TO HAVE LAUNCHED SOME KIND OF SATELLITE  
  
It was a Cobra trooper.  
  
The camera went dark.  
  
"This is pretty heavy," Scarlett said, astonished.  
  
They looked at each other for a moment.  
  
"We gotta call headquarters."  
  
"That's funny," Scarlett said as she listened into the pay phone. "No one's answering. Someone is always supposed to be monitoring this line. What could have happened?"  
  
Scarlett and Snake Eyes, deciding that their best bet was to try and find a car to drive back to New York, wandered through the empty streets of Washington, D.C.  
  
A black BMW pulled up. The window opened and the driver, a nervous looking young man in his twenties, peered out.  
  
"What the fuck is going on?" the young man said. "Can you tell me?"  
  
"I was hoping you could tell us," Scarlett said.  
  
"I was just cruising in my office, doing my work, when I suddenly notice everyone get up and leave. And I thought, what the fuck is this?"  
  
"Then what?" Scarlett said.  
  
"All the people, all over the city, were headed somewhere. They looked all weirded out. They looked like fucking zombies."  
  
"Did you see where they went?" Scarlett said, thinking of her missing friends.  
  
"Me? Fuck that! I wanted to get the hell out and find some real people!"  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett and Snake Eyes sped down the New Jersey Turnpike toward New York. Occasionally, they would see other drivers on the road, meaning that they weren't the last people left. Still, the highway was unusually traffic- free.  
  
"We've got to find out what's going on," Scarlett said to Snake Eyes. "Whatever is happening, it must have something to do with that attack on the launching grounds and the launching of that satellite. Cobra is up to something."  
  
"Whatever it is, it's working," Snake Eyes signed.  
  
* * *  
  
It was late at night when Scarlett and Snake Eyes arrived at G.I. JOE headquarters in Staten Island.  
  
Scarlett and Snake Eyes took out their pistols and slowly walked into G.I. JOE headquarters.  
  
There was no one there.  
  
"Where is everyone?" Scarlett said as she and Snake Eyes entered the control room.  
  
Suddenly, Snake Eyes tensed into battle position. Scarlett noticed right away and aimed her pistol at the door through which they had entered.  
  
A squad of Cobra Vipers charged into the room.  
  
"Cobra?" Scarlett said.  
  
She and Snake Eyes immediately opened fire.  
  
"Take them alive! Take them alive!" one of the Vipers shouted.  
  
Five Vipers fell before the enemy troops managed to encircle and surround the two Joes. Realizing they were outnumbered and outgunned, Scarlett and Snake Eyes dropped their weapons.  
  
"Excellent work," a voice said. Scarlett felt a chill at recognizing that voice.  
  
The Baroness strolled into the room flanked by Zartan and Dr. Mindbender.  
  
"Two of our missing Joes have finally decided to join us," the Baroness said with sinister glee.  
  
With a snap of his fingers, the Baroness ordered the Vipers to seize Snake Eyes. They led him away in handcuffs. Snake Eyes looked as if he were trying to cry out to Scarlett. He would have screamed her name if he had a voice to do so.  
  
"Snake Eyes!" Scarlett called out to him.  
  
"Where are you taking him?" Scarlett demanded.  
  
"Easy, my impetuous friend. He's going to be re-educated."  
  
"Re-educated? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"By now, you must know about our attack and hijacking of the satellite launching grounds," Dr. Mindbender said.  
  
"We have launched a satellite into orbit that is capable of transmitting brainwashing signals over all of North America," Dr. Mindbender explained.  
  
"But the signal does not work on everyone, for some unknown reason," the Baroness explained. "5% of all people in this country have been unaffected."  
  
"That's why we are now seeing to it that Snake Eyes will join the other 95% of his brainwashed fellow Americans," Zartan said.  
  
"You bastards!" Scarlett cried, indignant. "How dare you!"  
  
"Leave us," the Baroness said to Zartan and Mindbender. The Baroness faced Scarlett, in the company of a dozen armed Vipers.  
  
"Frisk her and tie her up," the Baroness ordered. One of the Vipers, after finding Scarlett clean, proceeded to bind her in handcuffs and ankle chains.  
  
"What are you going to do to me?" Scarlett whispered, afraid for the first time.  
  
"We know that you are the leader of G.I. JOE," the Baroness said. "You are the commander of G.I. JOE by default, since all of the other senior officers have either been killed or have left."  
  
"Yeah? So what?"  
  
"The rest of the world is wondering what happened down in Florida today," the Baroness said.  
  
"At least two hundred, maybe more, were disposed of."  
  
"You people are cold blooded murderers."  
  
"They got in the way," the Baroness said with ruthless indifference.  
  
"Okay, sure," Scarlett said.  
  
"As leader of G.I. JOE, you are responsible for the conduct of the men and women under your command."  
  
The Baroness paced back and forth in front of a bewildered Scarlett.  
  
"It is therefore your DUTY to go on television and let the world know that G.I. JOE was responsible for everything."  
  
"You're out of your mind!" Scarlett exclaimed.  
  
"If you cooperate, I'll go easy on you," the Baroness said.  
  
The idea of letting G.I. JOE claim responsibility, insane as it sounded, was repugnant to her. Scarlett could hardly imagine standing up in front of a television camera and saying such a horrible lie. It was demeaning. It was worse than demeaning. It was the most utterly degrading, soul abasing, wretchedly humiliating thing she could imagine.  
  
"Never," Scarlett said.  
  
"Have it your way," the Baroness said as she left the room.  
  
Immediately, a Viper punched Scarlett in the stomach. Caught by surprise, Scarlett doubled over, the breath knocked out of her. The Viper stood before her, rubbing his fists, hungry for more.  
  
"Hey pal," Scarlett breathed. "Didn't your mama ever tell you it's not nice to hit a lady?"  
  
The Viper kicked her in the chest, and Scarlett flew backward.  
  
Scarlett felt blood on the back of her head. Her chin and left cheek was bruised. She stood up in chains and defiantly stared at her attackers.  
  
Another Viper, standing by, said, "Listen, all you gotta do is say yes and it will stop."  
  
"Go to hell, asshole," Scarlett growled.  
  
Two Vipers grabbed her by each side and threw her through a glass window. The glass shattered as Scarlett fell through, cut and bruised.  
  
* * *  
  
Where am I?  
  
Scarlett awoke from a momentary state of unconsciousness and realized that she was in a detention cell. She was no longer in chains, but she could hardly move.  
  
"Oh," she groaned, feeling pain even in the act of speaking.  
  
Scarlett had no idea how long she had been tortured by the Vipers. Probably as long as a full hour. They had punched, kicked, and thrown her around, hoping to break her, but she refused to yield.  
  
The price had been great. Scarlett could no longer stand up. She touched a bloodied hand to her chest and felt something moving. It was her ribs. Maybe three or four ribs had been broken. One of her arms was broken as well, and one of her ankles was swollen. It was probably sprained.  
  
And her face…  
  
Scarlett felt her face gingerly. Still in one piece, no major lacerations. A few minor bruises.  
  
Why had they spared her face?  
  
So she could go on TV, she realized.  
  
"I feel like home made shit," Scarlett whispered in agony.  
  
If they tortured her any more, she did not know how much longer she could hold out. She was mentally weakened, and any kind of chemical coercion could easily force her to make the hated statement. Escape was out of the question. The other Joes could not be counted on to rescue her. At this moment, even Snake Eyes was probably being brainwashed into serving Cobra. The very thought made her skin crawl. Even if she did get out, in her condition, she would not make it very far.  
  
That left either torture, or…  
  
Scarlett felt a shard of glass in her hand. It had come from one of the windows the Vipers had thrown her through. Now, Scarlett held the shard of glass in her hand. She weakly held the piece of glass in the light and reflected on it.  
  
They'll torture me, she thought to herself. They'll torture me until they break every bone in my body, or until I'm dead.  
  
"I won't let them," Scarlett said weakly as she held the sharp edge of glass to her neck and cut her throat.  
  
Immediately, Scarlett collapsed to the floor. Her head landed on the floor with a resounding thud, and everything went black, even the pain faded away…  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, a STUN drove to an empty road, not far from G.I. JOE headquarters.  
  
"Get rid of her," the STUN driver ordered two Vipers who were riding in each of the two compartments.  
  
The two Vipers leapt out of the vehicle. Walking around to the back, they grabbed Scarlett out from the gunner's seat, where she sat limply and quietly.  
  
"That's all?" one of the Vipers said. "We're just gonna throw her away out here?"  
  
"Fucking girl cut her own throat. She's fucking useless now. She'll be dead by sundown."  
  
One Viper held Scarlett by the armpits, while the other held onto her feet. Together, they heaved her unconscious body over the side of the road. Scarlett felt nothing as she landed in a field of tall grass and weeds.  
  
"That's it, man," one of the Vipers shouted. "Let's get the hell out of here."  
  
The STUN drove away.  
  
Half an hour later, a figure approached Scarlett through the tall grass. Stopping and checking for enemies periodically, it finally reached Scarlett.  
  
"My God, what did they do to you?"  
  
After a cursory examination, Mainframe pulled out a bandage and wrapped it around Scarlett's neck. He slowly and gently hefted Scarlett over his shoulders and carried her away to safety. 


	4. Resistance

Scarlett walks slowly through a luminous haze. The songs of birds filter through the white mist of the forest. At the edge of the forest there stands a man. He is a silhouette against the light, a tall and sturdy fixture among the branches and leaves.  
  
Almost as if by some magic spell, a breeze picks up the leaves and sends them floating upward, drifting up and around the man in an upward spiral. The man extends a hand.  
  
"Scarlett," the man says.  
  
Scarlett smiles at the sound of his voice. It is the voice of Snake Eyes. She has never heard his voice before and has no idea what it truly sounds like, but the voice is sweet music to her ears.  
  
"I love you," Snake Eyes says, his voice soft, gentle, and inviting.  
  
"I have always loved you. Everything about you inspires me to love you. You are sweet and kind and beautiful. I see your heart locked deep in a silver chest in your soul, and if you would only open your heart to me, if you would just take my hand, I would show you a world of wonderful things."  
  
Scarlett smiles as she puts her hand in his outstretched one. Their hands join as one. His hand is warm and soft. It tells her what a thousand laboriously composed words cannot… the depth of his love for her.  
  
"Let us always be together," Snake Eyes says.  
  
Then Scarlett realizes that Snake Eyes is not speaking at all. He is not speaking out of his mouth, but through his mind. She is deep within him now, so deep she can hear his very thoughts. Their minds have melded into one. Every thought, hope, and dream lies open before her, and she knows that Snake Eyes can see into her soul as well.  
  
So this is what true intimacy feels like.  
  
How can I have allowed myself to be so lonely all my life?  
  
Scarlett thinks these thoughts as she and Snake Eyes run together. Beyond the forest lies an open meadow in spring. The sun shines peacefully down upon them as they romp through the lush, green fields and take in the warm hues of the wild flowers.  
  
She has never known such intimacy before, nor has she known how much she wanted and needed it. All this time, Snake Eyes loved her in ways that she had never been aware of. Every gesture he had made spoke volumes of the nights he lay in bed alone, dreaming of experiencing this moment in time with her. He longed to share his dreams with her.  
  
Suddenly, Scarlett feels Snake Eyes' hands lighten.  
  
"Snake Eyes," she calls out in alarm, but the form of her newfound soul mate dissolves slowly and agonizingly. He fades away into the fields as she reaches out in vain to hold onto him…  
  
"Snake Eyes, don't leave me," Scarlett begs in earnest.  
  
* * *  
  
"Snake Eyes…" Scarlett said deliriously.  
  
"Scarlett, can you hear me?" Lifeline said as he sat at Scarlett's bedside.  
  
Blinking in confusion, Scarlett awoke from her dream. She saw Lifeline looking at her with concern. Behind Lifeline, Mainframe stood and watched expectantly.  
  
"Lifeline," Scarlett said. "Mainframe. What happened to me? I'm not in heaven, am I?"  
  
"No, Scarlett," Mainframe said with a congenial smile, "far from it, actually."  
  
"Were you just dreaming about Snake Eyes?" Mainframe asked.  
  
"Why?" Scarlett said.  
  
"You were calling out his name. Snake Eyes! Snake Eyes!" Mainframe said suggestively, imitating Scarlett's voice.  
  
Scarlett turned red.  
  
"Maybe I was," Scarlett said, not eager to continue this line of conversation.  
  
"You're very lucky to be alive," Lifeline said.  
  
"How long have I been out?"  
  
"A week," Lifeline said.  
  
"Where's the rest of our teammates?" Scarlett wanted to know.  
  
"They've all been brainwashed," Mainframe informed her. "Cobra brainwashed G.I. JOE while we were all hanging around headquarters. Everyone got up and started walking someplace."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"We're not sure. They all looked like they were going someplace to watch TV, all at the same time. No one talked. They all looked like they were sleepwalking. It was too bizarre. Lifeline and I were the only ones who seemed normal. We got out of there as fast as we could. It wasn't long before Cobra came in and took over the base. But I knew that you, Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, Falcon, and Stalker were due back from Arlington. I waited and staked out the base that night."  
  
"You saw Snake Eyes and me come back," Scarlett said to Mainframe.  
  
"What happened to Snake Eyes?" Lifeline asked.  
  
"He was captured. They said he would be re-educated. I was tortured."  
  
"Why?" Lifeline said.  
  
"They wanted me to go on international television and tell the world that G.I. JOE killed all those people in Florida."  
  
"They're covering it up," Mainframe said.  
  
"How can they? People in this country won't allow that—"  
  
"Most people in this country are brainwashed, and those that are not affected are being hunted down as we speak," Mainframe said.  
  
"Just look at this," Mainframe said. "It's pitiful."  
  
Mainframe flicked on the TV and inserted a tape.  
  
The tape showed Lieutenant Falcon, Lady Jaye, and Cover Girl. The three Joes were behaving themselves very unprofessionally. Lady Jaye and Cover Girl stood on each side of Falcon, rubbing his arm affectionately.  
  
"So tell us, what does it mean to you to be a member of the G.I. JOE anti- terrorist task force?" a voice prompted Falcon. The voice sounded like it belonged to the Baroness.  
  
"Let me tell you," Falcon said, "Being a Joe is better than anything in the whole world. It's the best thing since sliced bread. Our mission is to defend human freedom, or some (expletive) like that. We go places where no other pansy ass (expletive) dares to tread. We're the best of the best. We go in and kill bitches."  
  
Falcon made a gun with his fingers and pretended to shoot.  
  
"Pow! Pow! Pow!" he said.  
  
"Wow, that was so sexy, I love it when you do that macho posturing," Cover Girl said lovingly.  
  
"Yeah, do it again sweet thing," Lady Jaye purred, rubbing Falcon's arm.  
  
"What the hell is this?" Scarlett said as she watched the tape in shock.  
  
"Wham, bam! We (expletive) you up until you can't see out of your own (expletive) hole. Isn't that right? Don't we love opening a can of whoop ass on terrorist faggots?"  
  
Lady Jaye and Cover Girl nodded approvingly.  
  
"But I gotta say this," Falcon said breezily, pulling the two women closer to him, "the best part of being in G.I. JOE is the women. I mean, check out these two babes! You got Lady Jaye, covert operations here, and Cover Girl, tank driver, here. Damn, they are such fine hotties! They can covertly drive my tank any day! When all is said and done, it's nice to get the job done and all that, but to me, being in G.I. JOE is all about getting some (expletive). Damn, I'm all horny now! Let's get it on, yeah!"  
  
Falcon turned to Cover Girl and began to French kiss her.  
  
"G.I. JOE," the voice behind the camera said with malicious irony, "a real American hero."  
  
The tape was finished.  
  
"Please tell me they were brainwashed," Scarlett said, her mind numbed.  
  
"Of course they were," Lifeline said, "Cobra didn't get you to claim responsibility for killing 200 people, but they still found a way to humiliate G.I. JOE. That's what they're doing. Humiliating us. This tape went out all over the world. They're destroying G.I. JOE."  
  
"And it's working," Mainframe said, "the federal government is under Cobra's control now. The President himself has ordered that G.I. JOE be disbanded. Our teammates have been scattered around the country."  
  
"We can't sit here and let it happen! We have to fight back. We have to resist!" Scarlett said.  
  
At that, Scarlett winced in pain. Her hand went to her tender chest.  
  
"Take it easy, Scarlett, you're in no condition to fight anyone," Lifeline said, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"You need to rest and recover from your injuries," Mainframe said. "Even if it takes two months, we wait for now."  
  
Scarlett looked down. Her purpose was clear. She had to get well again. Cobra had to be defeated.  
  
Most of all, she had to find Snake Eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
Every day, Mainframe and Lifeline went to work, while Scarlett gradually recovered from her wounds. Mainframe worked in a Cobra computer factory, while Lifeline toiled in the emergency room of Cobra General Hospital, both of which were located in Staten Island. They did it to fit in. Both men knew that if any of the Cobra personnel or anyone in the general population suspected that they were not brainwashed, or that they were secretly harboring Scarlett, it would be the end. The Cobra police would sweep in, arrest them, and send them off to the re-education centers where they would be brainwashed for good.  
  
The people who were brainwashed betrayed those who were not. Sons informed against their fathers, wives informed against their own husbands. No friendship or family bond was sacred. Everyone lived in an atmosphere of fear and distrust. Outwardly, the daily business of the people of the United States proceeded as it had before, but inwardly, the United States was a conquered country. Ordinary people went about their daily lives, and the leaders in government went to work every day at Capitol Hill, making the laws of the land. However, through the brainwashing, Cobra controlled and dominated every aspect of American life.  
  
Every week, the people of the United States, as if by some automatic program, sat in front of their home television for hours at a time, receiving their instructions for that week. Using the orbiting satellite, Cobra broadcast all over the country seemingly innocuous fare, which contained subliminal messages buried within the images and themes of the film being shown. Everyone had to be home when these broadcasts were made. Anyone out in the streets during this time immediately fell under suspicion and was arrested. Mainframe and Lifeline made sure not to violate this curfew.  
  
"The point is," Michael Douglas said on the television, "that greed, for lack of a better word, works. Greed is good."  
  
"This has got to be one of their favorite movies," Mainframe remarked as he, Lifeline, and Scarlett shared dinner one evening.  
  
"This must be the fifth time in the last month that I've seen them show this movie."  
  
"What's the big deal? It's only WALL STREET," Scarlett said, not understanding.  
  
"Every once in a while, you see a flash on the screen," Lifeline pointed out.  
  
"So what?"  
  
"That flash contains hidden instructions designed to activate your subconscious programming. Assuming you were brainwashed and are susceptible," Lifeline said.  
  
"We can just sit here and laugh at it," Mainframe said, smiling.  
  
"But not too loudly," Lifeline said in a low voice, "the neighbors might hear us."  
  
* * *  
  
Weeks passed, and Scarlett's broken bones had gradually healed. No longer requiring the bandages around her chest or the sling for her broken left arm, Scarlett was able to move about freely, although she had not yet recovered her full strength. She was thankful that Lifeline had been there to take care of her. She remembered what a mess she was on the day she had been tortured.  
  
"Thank God I didn't kill myself that day," Scarlett said, thinking of the night when desperation had moved her to slit her throat. She knew she had survived for a reason. Somewhere out there was Snake Eyes. She wondered what cruel torment Cobra was forcing upon him. She imagined him being made to work like a slave in a factory, or being forced to march for days at a time, or being strapped to a table while the enemy burned, cut, and scalded him.  
  
No, the thoughts were too horrible to bear.  
  
"Now here's something interesting," a voice said on the television.  
  
Scarlett turned to see what was on. It was the David Letterman Show. Mainframe and Lifeline had gone to sleep, and were in the next room.  
  
"President Bush," Letterman said, "has signed into law a series of new bills. The new tax bill authorizes Congress to divert 90% of all federal income taxes to Cobra."  
  
David Letterman pondered that bit of news and looked into the camera.  
  
"I sure hope Serpentor uses some of that money to buy himself a new outfit. I mean, come on, isn't that snake cowl thing just ugly as hell?"  
  
The audience laughed automatically, like a bunch of robots.  
  
"Am I right, or what? Come on!" Letterman added.  
  
Scarlett watched the television in disgust. Cobra made its control of the U.S. seem like a joke, when Scarlett knew that it was no joke.  
  
"Another law orders the transfer of all armed forces to the personal command of Serpentor. A third law, just signed today by the president, provides for an entirely new curriculum for our nation's schools. All children will be instructed in the philosophy, methodology, and history of Cobra. A pledge of allegiance to Serpentor will replace the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.  
  
"You know, thank God someone is finally stepping in and getting things done over there. Cobra is all about action, huh?"  
  
The audience cheered and applauded.  
  
"Personally, I thought that pledge of allegiance to the flag business was kinda dorky, anyway. I really hated doing it as a kid. Screw the flag. Hail Serpentor!"  
  
"HAIL SERPENTOR! HAIL COBRA!" the studio audience chanted.  
  
"Today, we have a very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a very special woman, the lovely Baroness!"  
  
The audience cheered and whistled loudly as the Baroness, accompanied by a squad of Crimson Guards, walked onto the stage. The Baroness smiled and shook hands with Letterman.  
  
"What first drew you to Cobra?"  
  
"Well, Dave," the Baroness said with her thick European accent, "I joined Cobra because I was looking for a career that would allow me to terrorize and exploit as many people as possible."  
  
"How very interesting," Letterman said. "Go on."  
  
"As I was consulting with my high school guidance counselor one day, I thought, gee, you know, do I want to be an accountant, a politician, a music critic? I decided that, no, I wanted to become a Cobra operative. I wanted to bring down the system and change the world. Make it a better place. For you and for me, and the entire human race."  
  
"I see… Now, Baroness, what's it like working for a guy like Serpentor? What kind of guy is he, really?"  
  
"Serpentor is a great man," the Baroness said forcefully, "without him there is no Cobra!"  
  
"What's his ultimate goal in life?"  
  
"Well," the Baroness said, "Serpentor in some ways is a lot like you and me. Money, power? Sure, he loves all that, just like we do. But deep down, he just wants to be loved."  
  
"Tell me more," Letterman said.  
  
"For example," the Baroness continued, "the other night, His Highness was watching SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE with Dr. Mindbender, Destro, and me. And Serpentor said, 'I really like that woman, Meg Ryan. She's really cute.' And I said, 'would you like to meet her?' Serpentor said, 'Bring her to me as soon as possible. This, I command!'"  
  
"Wow, it must be great being the emperor of Cobra. You can have any woman you want," Letterman said with obvious jealousy.  
  
"We're going to take a commercial break," Letterman said, "but when we come back, we have our top ten list. Top ten reasons why Cobra is great and G.I. JOE sucks! Don't go away—"  
  
Scarlett turned off the TV, unable to stand watching another minute of it.  
  
"Time to sleep," she said wearily as she lay down on her bed and turned out the light.  
  
* * *  
  
Peering through the binoculars, Mainframe said, "There it is."  
  
Lying flat on her stomach on the grassy hill at the side of the long, empty road, Scarlett took the binoculars from Mainframe and took a look.  
  
In the darkness, a pair of headlights appeared in the distance and gradually grew in intensity as the rumbling truck came toward them.  
  
Mainframe had learned that Cobra would be receiving a truckload of weapons and explosives. Now that Scarlett was healthy and combat ready again, she, Mainframe, and Lifeline would be carrying out their first mission: intercept the delivery and steal as many munitions and explosives as they could carry off.  
  
"Just like clockwork," Scarlett said, pleased. She turned to Lifeline.  
  
"Lifeline, you hang back here in case anything goes wrong." She handed him a pistol.  
  
"Scarlett," Lifeline protested, "you know I haven't fired one of these since basic training…"  
  
"That's good enough," Scarlett assured him. "Mainframe and I will handle this, no problems."  
  
Grabbing their rifles, Scarlett and Mainframe walked onto the road as the truck drew near. They both pulled up their guns and motioned for the truck to stop.  
  
The truck lumbered to a stop. Inside, Scarlett could see two nervous looking Vipers.  
  
"Out of the truck!" Scarlett shouted.  
  
The Vipers hesitated, and Scarlett fired a round into the windshield, missing the driver's head by inches.  
  
"NOW!" she ordered.  
  
With their hands up, the Vipers got out of the truck, and Scarlett and Mainframe led them toward the back.  
  
"Open it," Scarlett said to the driver, gesturing to the trailer.  
  
The driver opened the trailer and turned to Scarlett. The trailer was filled with wooden crates, which apparently contained enough handguns, rifles, ammunition, plastic explosives, and time bombs to arm an entire company.  
  
"Get in there and start handing us the small charges," Scarlett ordered the driver.  
  
The driver nodded and climbed onto the trailer on Mainframe's side. Before Scarlett or Mainframe could react, the driver grabbed hold of a grenade launcher lying near one of the crates, turned, and swung it at Mainframe, striking him in the face. Mainframe grunted in pain and surprise and went down. The other Viper turned and threw himself on Scarlett.  
  
Scarlett cried out as she wrestled with the Viper. She managed to get the upper hand, pinned him onto the ground, and stabbed him in the heart with a switchblade. She barely had enough time to turn to face the other Viper when she felt herself tackled and pinned to the ground. The Viper sat squarely on her back. With one hand, he grasped her hair and yanked her head backward, while attempting to cut her throat with a combat knife in the other hand. With her one free hand, Scarlett struggled to hold the knife hand in check, but she was in an awkward position and felt herself weakening rapidly.  
  
"Fucking whore," the Viper screamed.  
  
"Aarrghh! Mainframe! Help me!"  
  
But Mainframe was knocked out cold. He lay motionless, a few feet in front of her.  
  
"You son of a bitch!" Scarlett cried.  
  
"I'm gonna cut you a new nostril!" the Viper taunted.  
  
The knife was nearly at her throat. Suddenly, Scarlett heard a single gunshot, and the Viper's hands went limp. Grunting, Scarlett jerked an elbow upward and the Viper rolled lifelessly off her body.  
  
Scarlett turned her head backward and saw Lifeline standing a few feet away, holding a smoking handgun. He was trembling. The gun dropped from his hand and he dropped to his knees. Scarlett picked herself off the asphalt, dusted herself off, and walked toward him.  
  
"I killed a man," Lifeline said in disbelief.  
  
"You saved our lives," Scarlett said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"  
  
Lifeline's face grew taut and grim.  
  
"Even a pacifist must take up arms in times such as these," he said sadly.  
  
Lifeline got up and walked toward Mainframe to check if he was all right. Mainframe groaned.  
  
"Anyone get the license plate of that grenade launcher?" he said, dazed.  
  
"Come on, let's grab some of these weapons," Scarlett told her friends.  
  
The three of them took a handful of guns, ammunition, and explosives. The rest would be destroyed. Scarlett placed a bomb under the trailer and set it to go off on remote detonation. When they were all a safe distance away from the truck, Scarlett detonated the bomb, and the truck blew up in a gigantic flare.  
  
"We're going to have to relocate," Lifeline observed.  
  
"They're going to come after us for sure," Mainframe said.  
  
"We go underground," Scarlett said. "We won't stay anyplace for too long. We move at night, under cover of darkness. We'll look for others like us to join us. We'll hit them where it hurts and show no mercy."  
  
"And?" Mainframe said, wanting to hear more of Scarlett's plan.  
  
"And we find out how Cobra is controlling this country. We'll break it all down."  
  
"Well," Lifeline said. "You're the commander. We'll follow you anywhere."  
  
He and Mainframe smiled at Scarlett as the three soldiers vanished into the night. 


	5. Reunion

As Scarlett emerged from the New York City taxi cab, she paid the driver and stopped to take in her surroundings. Everything appeared deceptively normal, from the ubiquitous taxis, to the crowds of people busily moving about their business, to the imposing labyrinth of streets and buildings. Wearing a black trench coat and a ski cap, Scarlett shivered a bit from the wind and the lightly falling snow flurries. The bleak sky was cloudy and gray, and showed no sign that the harsh blanket of winter would be lifted anytime soon. A nearby street sign showed  
  
41st Street  
  
Lexington Avenue  
  
Scarlett paused to glance at her watch. She had exactly ten minutes.  
  
She recalled the recent conversation she had shared with Jinx.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"It's me," Scarlett said.  
  
"Scar-"  
  
"Quiet!" Scarlett cut her off, not wanting Jinx to speak her name.  
  
"Uh," Scarlett said for the benefit of anyone eavesdropping, "stupid dog is pestering me again."  
  
"There's not much time," Scarlett said hastily, "where are you?"  
  
"Still in Japan. What is going on over there?"  
  
"We need your help. I can't say more. You have to trust me."  
  
"Just tell me what you need," Jinx said.  
  
* * *  
  
Grand Central Station. Scarlett crossed 42nd Street and quickly looked to her left and right. She spotted a few Vipers doing routine patrols at key intersections, amidst the throng of people. Stuffing her gloved hands into her coat pockets, Scarlett felt the handgun nestled smugly beneath her belt.  
  
Just in case.  
  
With as nonchalant an air as possible, Scarlett sauntered through the glass doors and headed inside. The spacious center of Grand Central Station was still as enormous and imposing as ever. Making her way through the passersby, Scarlett headed for the information booth in the center, which bore clocks showing the time.  
  
She was a minute early.  
  
Scarlett looked up for a few seconds to admire the painted and lit ceiling, which stood at a height several stories above the ground. A man dressed in a black suit, trench coat, and fedora approached her. Scarlett caught him in the periphery of her vision, and her mind went on alert.  
  
Who is this man?  
  
The fedora was tilted forward and down, concealing much of his face in shadow. A black scarf covered the lower part of his face.  
  
Scarlett looked to her left and right quickly. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. No one was converging on and encircling her.  
  
Scarlett pretended not to notice the dark man as he drew up alongside her and looked upward at the ceiling.  
  
"Hello, Scarlett," the man said. Scarlett froze, recognizing the voice immediately.  
  
The voice of Duke.  
  
Her heart skipped a beat as she slowly turned to look at him. Duke faced her, bringing his scarf down below his chin. Beneath that fedora, her old friend's crystal blue eyes looked piercingly into hers.  
  
For a few seconds, Scarlett felt utterly speechless and off her guard. Her defenses dropped.  
  
"D-duke?" Scarlett whispered.  
  
Duke smiled affectionately at her and raised a gloved hand to her face. He stroked her chin with his thumb and index finger.  
  
"It's been a long time," Duke said.  
  
"Yes, too long," Scarlett said, almost forgetting about her meeting with Jinx.  
  
Scarlett felt intense turmoil within her heart. She had not thought about Duke in so long that she had forgotten how strongly she had once felt toward him. When Duke had departed from G.I. JOE and presumably from her life, Scarlett at first had longed for him and pined for his company and friendship. They had been like best friends. She had liked him. Maybe she had even loved him. Deep inside, she had sensed that their relationship would no longer remain the same. She had known as well that she would never be the same. Scarlett had realized that with time, the lofty image of Duke that she carried within her heart would fade away into the recesses of her memories, like the long forgotten photo albums of her family that she only looked at upon feeling those rare stabs of nostalgia. The pain of parting had been great, but had diminished gradually as she forgot him. At the same time, she had known that she would forget him and that his place in her heart would one day be taken by another, and this thought was equally painful to her.  
  
However, the emptiness left behind by Duke in her heart HAD been filled up by a man she had grown to cherish as much, and possibly even more, than she had cherished Duke. Scarlett now remembered Snake Eyes, and how much she cared for him and longed to see him again. For an ephemeral moment, Scarlett felt a brief upwelling of her feelings for Duke, which had been long buried. She now reminded herself that she could no longer love Duke, not after the way Snake Eyes had touched her heart.  
  
Scarlett stepped backward, pulling away from Duke's gentle caress.  
  
"Please, Duke," she said. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Duke smiled and, arching an eyebrow, said, "I'm with the CIA now. I know you're meeting someone here."  
  
Duke looked around for a second.  
  
"Judging from the looks of it, it appears that someone is late."  
  
Scarlett thought to say that she was meeting Jinx, but decided not to. Where the heck was that girl, anyway?  
  
"Okay, so you knew I would be here at this exact moment. Impressive intelligence work."  
  
"Thanks," Duke said, gesturing toward the subway concourses with a hand.  
  
"It's not safe here. What say we take a walk?"  
  
Scarlett looked at him and nodded. Could she trust him? She wasn't sure yet.  
  
"I know," Duke said, "that you have been carrying out underground operations against Cobra throughout the New York region."  
  
"That so?" Scarlett said.  
  
"You and I both know that Cobra is up to something more than just fucking around with the government of this country. They plan to expand their control over the rest of the free world. We can't let those bastards succeed."  
  
"And you have a plan?"  
  
"I have several contacts with other former members of the U.S. armed services, as well as federal and regional law enforcement officers, who have gone underground and are waging a secret war to bring down Cobra. They, like you, are engaging in small but lethal operations. Yesterday, five Cobra officers were shot in a crowded subway station in Chicago, and the perpetrators escaped using smoke bombs. Two weeks ago, a rail line in Pennsylvania that Cobra was using to bring in computer hardware was dynamited. Four months ago, a truck carrying guns and explosives was intercepted and destroyed."  
  
Scarlett arched an eyebrow at the mention of the raid she, Mainframe, and Lifeline had executed together. She said nothing of her involvement.  
  
"The point is," Duke said as they neared the escalator which would take them down to the 7 subway line, "small pockets of active resistance have formed in this country. Cobra is desperate to suppress them. What I've just mentioned to you is only a fraction of what has gone on ever since Cobra took over."  
  
Duke draped an arm confidentially around her shoulders.  
  
"I know people," he said in a low voice, "people who want to bring down Cobra as much as you and I. If we could get the various resistance groups to join together and coordinate operations, think of how much we could accomplish. We could bring Cobra down to its knees."  
  
As Scarlett got off the escalator on the bottom level with Duke, she turned to look at him. For the first time in months, she felt a ray of hope. Perhaps this was the key to their success. This was the answer.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked.  
  
"I want you to meet with someone. He's a leader of one of the resistance cells."  
  
"Who is this guy?"  
  
"He's a former FBI agent," Duke said.  
  
"Anything else I should know?" Scarlett asked as the 7 train came roaring into the subway station. Scarlett watched the train roar by and finally come to a screeching halt. The subway doors opened.  
  
"We're going to meet him in a hotel in Times Square," Duke said. "It's just across town, we'll be there soon."  
  
Scarlett and Duke stepped into the train along with several other people. Scarlett shuddered for a moment upon seeing two Vipers at one end of the train car, and two more on the other. She knew that Vipers were a commonplace sight now within every major city, but the sight of the enemy mingling so freely with the populace greatly unnerved her. None of the Vipers paid her or Duke any mind. One of them even sat with his legs crossed, reading the New York Times.  
  
A bell sounded, and the doors shut. The train came to life again and began picking up speed as it roared down the subway tunnel toward Times Square.  
  
Then Scarlett noticed the Vipers at one end of the car get up and come walking toward her. She looked to her other side and saw the other two Vipers doing the same. All four of the Vipers were holding bayoneted rifles.  
  
"Duke," Scarlett whispered as she reached down slowly with one hand for her handgun, tucked beneath her belt.  
  
She turned to look at Duke and nearly cried out in shock when she found herself staring down the barrel of a semiautomatic pistol.  
  
Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of Duke holding a gun in her face.  
  
"I wouldn't," Duke said as the four Vipers drew near. He glanced to each side, and Scarlett followed the motion of his eyes. There were innocent bystanders everywhere.  
  
Scarlett was not prepared to fight Duke and four Vipers in a crowded subway car. She closed her eyes and sighed with dismay as she withdrew her hand from her gun.  
  
"I don't understand," Scarlett said, shaking her head as one of the Vipers reached down to remove the gun hidden at her waist. Another Viper grabbed both of Scarlett's hands and handcuffed them.  
  
"Maybe someday you will," Duke said with a twisted smile.  
  
"But… why?"  
  
"Cobra is all the rage now. Patriotism… is for wusses," Duke sneered.  
  
Scarlett stared at him in shock. The Duke she knew would never say such a thing. He had been a proud and patriotic American all his life. He would die for his country. Clearly, Duke was not in control of his actions. He was brainwashed. He was one of THEM. But how? Scarlett could not understand for the life of her. Duke had been so convincing, so natural. Only now, when it was too late, did she truly understand the evil and cunning of Cobra.  
  
"Duke, don't do this, please," Scarlett begged as Duke produced a cloth soaked with chloroform.  
  
"Lights out," he said as he covered her face with the cloth.  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett felt groggy. She shut her eyes by reflex, as she was in a well- lit room. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious, but she knew her situation was not good.  
  
Gradually she opened her eyes.  
  
Scarlett was strapped to a dining chair. She was in a spacious banquet room, but all of the tables had been pushed to one side.  
  
"How very nice of you to join us at last," Dr. Mindbender said as he walked up to her.  
  
Scarlett looked up and glared at Mindbender with hatred.  
  
"It was so nice of your friend Duke to drop you off to visit," he said complacently.  
  
"What have you done to him? Where is he?"  
  
"Calm down. Duke is no longer your concern. If I were you, I would be thinking of making things as easy on myself as possible."  
  
"Is that so, you cowardly scumbag?"  
  
Dr. Mindbender slapped her hard on the cheek. Scarlett winced as she felt the sting of Mindbender's palm against her flesh. She turned to look at him again.  
  
"Scarlett, I'm a very busy man, and I don't have time for games. So let's dispense with the formalities, shall we?"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"What I want is very simple. I want information, which only you can provide me."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Scarlett said sarcastically.  
  
"Who else are you working with? What is their location?"  
  
"You think I'm going to just come out and tell you?"  
  
"It would be in your best interest, my dear sweet thing."  
  
"You won't get anything out of me," Scarlett declared defiantly.  
  
"I'm very sorry to hear that," Mindbender said, "because we at Cobra are on a tight timetable. We don't have time to be harassed by little insects like you."  
  
The door opened.  
  
"I could just strap you to a machine and suck the information from your feeble little red headed brain, but I have something that will be much more entertaining."  
  
Two armed Vipers walked into the room and stopped at each side of the door.  
  
Scarlett looked intently. Her facial expression transformed from one of disdain to one of shock as she saw Snake Eyes come walking in.  
  
"Snake Eyes?" Scarlett gulped.  
  
Snake Eyes walked mechanically toward the seated and bound Scarlett. He showed no sign of recognition. In one hand, he held a menacing ninja sword.  
  
Dr. Mindbender smiled.  
  
"My friend, how good of you to join the party."  
  
Dr. Mindbender turned back to Scarlett and adjusted his monocle.  
  
"I aim to break you, my dear. I'm going to get the information from you whether you want to talk or not. I'm sorry that you force me to resort to methods of torture. It will be doubly satisfying to me to make your special friend here the instrument of your torture."  
  
Chuckling, Dr. Mindbender moved to the back of the chair and looked with Scarlett at Snake Eyes, who now stood before them, wielding his sword.  
  
"I have brought Snake Eyes here for this one special purpose," he explained. "He is going to beat and cut you a thousand times until you go mad from the pain. He will break every bone in your body until you cannot move. And when your body is broken, he will strip you of what's left of your clothing. Perhaps he will even ravage you, no? You will be stripped of your mind, your body, your dignity, and your very humanity. He will break not only your body, but your heart as well."  
  
Scarlett looked at the impassive Snake Eyes with growing fear and horror. She felt as if she faced an abyss of black despair. Scarlett felt as if she were a woman standing on the edge of a precipice, where before her lay a pit of scorching fire, and behind her lay a pack of ravenous wolves ready to tear her apart.  
  
"Look at him," Dr. Mindbender said with a sinister air, "see how he shows no emotion at what I have just described. Is this the man you once thought of as your friend? He saved your life many times. He risked himself for you. I saw it with my own eyes. Perhaps he even loved you? And you felt grateful to him for his selfless act of sacrifice for you. You respected him for his abilities, his loyalty, and his courage. You liked and admired him. Maybe you even loved him? Do I strike a chord? I see the way you look at him now. There are tears in your eyes. You cry not for yourself, but for the man standing before you. Yes, I see the truth of your feelings revealed now. You love him."  
  
Scarlett shut her eyes, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. Dr. Mindbender now circled around her and Snake Eyes, observing her expressions and continuing his merciless taunting of her.  
  
"I'm not a fool, Scarlett. I can see that everything I have just said is true. It doesn't have to end this way. Imagine this… you and Snake Eyes can be together again. Just like how it was meant to be. Sure, you'll be a mindless, brainwashed automaton, but that's just a minor inconvenience. Do you see the people walking the streets out there? Do you see them complaining? They're happy, Scarlett. Life under Cobra is just peachy keen. We are benevolent rulers. We have a vision, not just for this pathetic country, but for the entire world. We hold the key to the happiness of all humankind. Would you deny us this opportunity to change the world and mold it into the perfect image of peace?"  
  
"It means nothing without freedom," Scarlett retorted.  
  
"Freedom is highly overrated," Dr. Mindbender said. "Just look at the rest of the world. Has life in Russia and Eastern Europe improved since the fall of communism? Have the African people tasted happiness since the end of colonialism? The whole world is just as lost and astray as it ever was. We have the power to change that. YOU have the power. All you have to do is name names. It doesn't have to end like this."  
  
Scarlett shut her eyes and said nothing.  
  
"Think about it as you now taste true pain," Dr. Mindbender said, turning to Scarlett as he walked out the banquet hall double doors.  
  
"When Snake Eyes has softened you up enough, I will return to check on you," he said as the two Vipers followed him out.  
  
Snake Eyes and Scarlett were now alone in the big room.  
  
"Snake Eyes," Scarlett said softly.  
  
Snake Eyes showed no emotion as he slapped her hard with his free hand. Scarlett felt her head jerk to the side, and her face stung with pain once again.  
  
"Please, don't do this," she pleaded.  
  
Snake Eyes did not listen. With a backhand motion, he struck her again, and Scarlett's head flew toward the opposite direction.  
  
Scarlett now tasted blood on her lips. She looked at Snake Eyes now with a mixture of love and horror as he thrust his ninja sword forward. Scarlett's heart nearly stopped as the blade stabbed through the air above her and stopped abruptly, coming to rest on her right shoulder. Snake Eyes moved the blade slowly to her neck. He looked as if he were caressing her with his blade, deciding what would be the best place to begin cutting her. Where would be the best place to cut her and cause her great pain, yet without severing any major blood vessels and outright killing her?  
  
Scarlett felt the tears fall down her face freely now.  
  
"Snake Eyes, listen to me. It's me, Scarlett."  
  
Scarlett saw into Snake Eyes' eyes. It was an impenetrable wall, an endless maze that she now had to navigate through. She knew that if Snake Eyes went through with his torture of her, he would never forgive himself. If he ever came to his senses one day and discovered what he had done to Scarlett while under the influence of Cobra, the realization would utterly destroy him. It would devastate his very soul. For Scarlett knew how deeply Snake Eyes had always cared for her, and how much he cherished and treasured their relationship. Snake Eyes would blame himself unconditionally. He would think to himself that he should have been able to stop himself, that he should have been able to resist the brainwashing. He would be driven to self punishment and self destruction, in the vain hope of somehow atoning for the most unthinkable crime of hurting the woman that he loved. The thought that Snake Eyes would blame himself for hurting her stabbed Scarlett's heart more deeply and painfully than any corporeal torture ever could.  
  
"They're forcing you to do this," Scarlett said rapidly, knowing she had little time before the cutting would commence, "but Snake Eyes, you're stronger than this. This isn't your true self. Your true self, the part of you that loves me, is hidden deep within you. Hear my voice and hold onto me."  
  
"Come back to me," Scarlett said tearfully, "please come back."  
  
Snake Eyes drew the blade down to Scarlett's chest. Scarlett felt the sword move slowly upward between her breasts, coming to rest at the hollow of her throat. He was going to cut her right through her shirt, straight down the middle of her chest, over her sternum.  
  
Scarlett shut her eyes.  
  
"Snake Eyes, please," Scarlett said.  
  
Snake Eyes hesitated, and Scarlett opened her eyes. She saw Snake Eyes looking at a spot right above her breasts, at the place where her neck joined her torso and where the collar of her shirt lay open.  
  
Snake Eyes reached out with his other hand to the necklace around Scarlett's neck.  
  
"You remember," Scarlett said, smiling, seeing a flash of recognition within Snake Eyes and his true self.  
  
Snake Eyes gently fingered the gold medallion of the sun and moon, and for a moment, Scarlett allowed herself to enjoy the touch of Snake Eyes.  
  
"You gave me this necklace for my birthday. You were the only one who remembered without being told. Do you remember how happy I was to be with you on my birthday? Do you remember how I told you I would keep it with me always?"  
  
Snake Eyes looked into her eyes. The conflict within was evident now.  
  
"I treasured your gift. More than that, I treasured the memory of sharing that moment with you. I looked for you, Snake Eyes. I searched for you all these months, longing to find you. Do you know that I dreamed that we would be together again? I dreamed of giving my heart to you and you alone. I dreamed of sharing my life with you."  
  
Snake Eyes staggered backward and dropped his sword. He looked as if he wanted to scream to the heavens in pain as he clutched his head with both hands. His knees buckled, his entire body trembled violently, and his head shook beneath his hands, before he sank to his knees.  
  
Snake Eyes stared at Scarlett as if he had just woken up from a long dream.  
  
"I know something that Mindbender doesn't know, Snake Eyes," Scarlett said with tenderness, "I know how deep and how wide is your love for me. It's stronger than the most powerful brainwashing. I read your letters. They tell me in words what you tell me through your actions, that you would never willingly hurt me in any way. You dreamed of finding the key to my heart. You despaired of ever finding it, but you never ceased to love me. I want you to know something."  
  
Snake Eyes bent down and picked up his sword. Walking toward Scarlett, he raised his sword, and with one quick motion cut through the ropes that bound Scarlett to the chair, without even scratching Scarlett's clothing. Leaning forward, Scarlett tumbled out of her chair.  
  
They faced each other on their knees.  
  
"I love you," Scarlett said.  
  
She threw her arms around him. Snake Eyes responded by dropping his sword and putting his arms around her as well. Never had Scarlett felt a sweeter sensation than when Snake Eyes held her in the way she had always longed to be held.  
  
"Please forgive me," Snake Eyes signed to her. "Have I hurt you?"  
  
"No, you came back to me," Scarlett said happily as she hugged him tightly again. "You love me."  
  
After a long time in which each person soaked in the presence and emotion of the other, they finally had to let each other go.  
  
Together, Scarlett and Snake Eyes now thought of one thing as they stood in Cobra's interrogation room.  
  
Escape. 


	6. Grand Central

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story was partly inspired by the true story of Jean Moulin. In 1940, when the Nazis conquered and occupied France, Jean Moulin was a prefect of one of the departments of France. He was ordered by the Germans to sign a document wrongfully blaming retreating Senegalese French troops for a civilian massacre. When Moulin refused, Nazi troops beat him. Afraid that he would relent the next day under torture, Moulin attempted to take his life by cutting his throat with a piece of glass. He survived the attempt, recovered, and was eventually dismissed from his post by the collaborationist Vichy government. He returned home and soon joined the Resistance. The Resistance smuggled Moulin out of France and sent him to England, where he met General Charles de Gaulle, who appointed him as his personal representative to the French Resistance. In 1942, Moulin parachuted into France and worked for a year and a half to unify the various Resistance movements. He was  
betrayed and captured in May 1943 in Lyon by Klaus Barbie, a S.S. officer who brutally tortured him for several weeks until his body was broken. But Moulin never betrayed his comrades to the Germans! He died of a heart attack while in transit to Berlin for further interrogation. Today, he is revered as a hero and martyr.  
  
* * *  
  
Half an hour later, Dr. Mindbender, accompanied by two Vipers pushed open the double doors of the banquet room, and was greeted by the sight of Snake Eyes continuing his relentless torture of Scarlett.  
  
As Dr. Mindbender closed the doors behind him, Snake Eyes punched Scarlett across her face. Scarlett, bound and tied to the chair, gasped out in pain as she felt Snake Eyes' hard fist against her cheek bone.  
  
"Snake Eyes, please, I'm begging you," Scarlett cried pathetically. Blood trickled down the corner of her mouth. Her head rolled around a bit, as if she had just taken a knockout punch from Muhammad Ali. She looked ready to pass out.  
  
"Ah, Snake Eyes, pleased to see you are making progress here," Dr. Mindbender commented, surveying Scarlett, who now slumped over in her chair, looking mentally and physically exhausted.  
  
"But you haven't hurt her enough," Dr. Mindbender said. "I suggest you cut her up to encourage her to start talking."  
  
Snake Eyes reached behind his back, where his sheathed sword was strapped around his torso. The deadly katana blade gleamed in the chandelier light. Snake Eyes stood before Scarlett, contemplating the weapon.  
  
He also took out with his other hand a butterfly knife. Knife and sword in hand, Snake Eyes walked toward Scarlett. Dr. Mindbender and the Vipers stood nearby, behind him, watching in perverse excitement and fascination.  
  
Without warning, Snake Eyes spun on his heels and hurled the butterfly knife straight into a Viper's throat. Before Dr. Mindbender could even blink, Snake Eyes lunged forward and impaled the other Viper. Suddenly, Dr. Mindbender found himself standing beside two dead men, with Snake Eyes holding a bloody katana blade to his throat, daring him to make a move. He stared in disbelief as Scarlett squirmed out of the ropes that tied her to the chair and stood up, looking a little bruised but otherwise perfectly fine.  
  
"How is this possible?" Dr. Mindbender was stupefied.  
  
"We're going to be the ones asking the questions now, and you're going to answer us, you son of a bitch!" Scarlett growled as she grabbed Dr. Mindbender and practically threw him onto the chair. Scarlett picked up one of the fallen Viper's rifles and shoved the barrel up Dr. Mindbender's nose.  
  
"Start talking. We want to know how this brainwashing operation is being done."  
  
"How can I be expected to know such things? I'm just Cobra's interrogator."  
  
"Don't you bullshit me!" Scarlett snarled, grabbing him by the ear with her free hand. "I know it has something to do with the satellite you launched, and with signals being transmitted via satellite television. And I know you know something about it."  
  
"What are you going to do if I don't tell you? Kill me?"  
  
Scarlett's forefinger tightened around the trigger. Behind her, Snake Eyes kept watch with his sword and a rifle.  
  
"You aren't ruthless enough. You are G.I. JOE. You are not cold-blooded killers. Look at me, helpless and unarmed. Would you kill a defenseless man? Could you live with your conscience?"  
  
Scarlett slapped Dr. Mindbender so hard that the monocle flew off and landed on the floor, cracked and broken. She was enraged because she knew he spoke the truth.  
  
Snake Eyes stepped forward and pointed with the tip of his sword toward Dr. Mindbender's belt. Scarlett followed Snake Eyes' sword and saw what Snake Eyes was looking at. A hypodermic syringe was attached to his belt.  
  
"What have we here?" Scarlett took the needle and inspected its contents. The name of a drug was written on the syringe.  
  
"Is this what I think this is? Truth serum?"  
  
Scarlett jabbed the needle into Dr. Mindbender's right internal carotid artery and administered a full injection.  
  
Dr. Mindbender groaned and he grew woozy.  
  
Scarlett now resumed her interrogation. Snake Eyes turned his head toward the door. Scarlett looked to Snake Eyes and understood. There was not much time.  
  
"How is Cobra doing the brainwashing?"  
  
"We transmit signals to our satellite in orbit," Dr. Mindbender said slowly and unevenly. "We have all of the brainwashing algorithms stored on CD. Our supercomputers encrypt the data and transmit via our uplink antenna to the satellite. Using satellite television, we can broadcast low frequency signals over the entire country. We compel the weak minded to do our bidding."  
  
Footsteps now approached outside. Someone was knocking on the door, calling for Dr. Mindbender.  
  
"Where is the uplink facility? Where is it?"  
  
"We took over NBC's broadcasting equipment. The Rockefeller Center..."  
  
It was all clear now. Scarlett turned to Snake Eyes and nodded. Now that they knew what was going on, how were they going to get out? What were they going to do with Dr. Mindbender?  
  
"We have to waste him," Scarlett said. "Otherwise they'll know that we know Cobra's location."  
  
She pointed her rifle at Dr. Mindbender's face. As much as she loathed and despised the Cobra interrogator, Scarlett was equally loath to execute an unarmed man who was not even mentally competent at the moment. She slowly began depressing the trigger while looking away from the unpleasant action she must now commit.  
  
Suddenly, the doors burst open and a squad of Vipers strode into the room. Seeing Scarlett and Snake Eyes armed and about, the Vipers immediately opened fire on them, not realizing as Scarlett and Snake Eyes dove out of the line of fire that they were perforating one of their senior leaders.  
  
"Fuck, we just fragged Mindbender," one of the Vipers said as the four Vipers abruptly ceased fire.  
  
"Uh, let's just say the Joes did it," a Viper suggested.  
  
For a moment, they had forgotten about Scarlett and Snake Eyes, which proved a fatal mistake as Scarlett and Snake Eyes opened fire, killing all four of them in less than a second.  
  
"Come on!" Scarlett cried to Snake Eyes as they bounded for the door. Racing out of the banquet hall, the pair found themselves on a balcony overlooking the ground floor. A short distance away, Scarlett spotted the escalator that led to the ground floor.  
  
The alarm now rang out. A dozen Vipers around the balcony, as well as a handful of Cobra foot soldiers standing around on the ground below, spotted Scarlett and Snake Eyes and began firing at them.  
  
Ducking beneath the metal rail, Scarlett and Snake Eyes moved swiftly toward the escalator. Below them, they heard Duke's voice ring out. Apparently, he was now in a position of authority within Cobra.  
  
"Hold your fire, goddamnit! Hold your fire, all of you!"  
  
The firing stopped.  
  
"Take them alive! Shoot to wound!"  
  
Two Vipers came in from behind, and Snake Eyes saw them. He quickly blew both of them away, then continued with Scarlett toward the escalator.  
  
When they reached the escalator, Scarlett and Snake Eyes saw a handful of enemy troops led by Duke, waiting for them with guns raised.  
  
"Cover me," Scarlett whispered to Snake Eyes, who gave her a thumbs up. Scarlett smiled wistfully for a moment. It was just like old times.  
  
Turning her attention to matters at hand, Scarlett leapt onto the rubber escalator hand rail, and as Snake Eyes popped up over the edge of the balcony barrier behind her to fire on the enemy below, she slid down the escalator hand rail on her back.  
  
Scarlett fired several rounds with her handgun at the enemy soldiers all the way down, who were too slow to react to her astonishing maneuver. When Scarlett reached the bottom, she flipped herself off and continued firing with her rifle as cover as Snake Eyes followed her move.  
  
Twenty yards away, Duke and four Vipers crouched behind the glass elevator for cover. Around them, a dozen Vipers lay sprawled on the floor.  
  
It was time to move. Snake Eyes raced backward behind Scarlett, covering their rear, while Scarlett, in the lead, mowed down two more hapless Vipers. As they neared the exit to the street, however, they soon came face to face with a half dozen Vipers, who were armed and waiting.  
  
Oh shit, Scarlett thought as she looked from her left to her right, finding no cover. In a head on gun fight, she and Snake Eyes were sure to lose now that the element of surprise was no longer a factor.  
  
A lone figure burst through the front doors with a sword. Swiftly and mercilessly, it sliced through the Vipers before they even had a chance to figure out what hit them.  
  
The ninja pulled off her mask. It was Jinx.  
  
"Jinx?" Scarlett said, shocked.  
  
"Hurry, no time for a reunion party, let's get the hell out of here!"  
  
"After them!" Duke cried as Jinx led Scarlett and Snake Eyes out the door and into the middle of Times Square.  
  
The three pursued Joes wove in and out of the rush hour pedestrian traffic, pushing and shoving the bystanders out of their way, stopping to cut or shoot any Cobra soldiers they found in their path. A few pedestrians were smart enough to jump out of their way. Behind them, about a block away, Scarlett could hear Duke shouting curses as he led four Vipers in hot pursuit through the sidewalks and the streets of Manhattan.  
  
The angry shouts of New Yorkers filled the air as the frantic chase ensued down 42^nd Street, heading east.  
  
"Watch where you're going!"  
  
"Fucking assholes!"  
  
"They've got guns--"  
  
"Holy shit!"  
  
Gunshots rang out, and Scarlett looked behind her. Duke and the Vipers were shooting people who got in their way, merciless in their chase.  
  
Snake Eyes pointed to the 5^th Avenue subway station across the street, and Scarlett and Jinx nodded. Defying the red light, the three Joes ran into the congested street, jumping onto the hoods of cars and ignoring the indignant protests of the drivers. As they raced down the stairs into the subway station, they saw the 7 train about to leave for Grand Central. Scarlett, Jinx, and Snake Eyes, without hesitation, jumped the turnstile and hurled themselves into the subway train just as the doors were about to close. As the train pulled away from the station, Scarlett saw Duke and the Vipers come down the stairs and grimly stare at the departing train.  
  
Inside the train, two Vipers were coming toward the three Joes.  
  
"Excuse me, sorry," Scarlett shouted as she led Jinx and Snake Eyes in the opposite direction, away from the two Vipers who advanced on them, brutally shoving passengers aside. The Joes pushed open the car doors and headed for the next subway car. Scarlett came face to face with a startled Viper, and she stabbed him on sight with her switchblade. The Viper crumpled to the floor as the Joes advanced down the train car.  
  
"Out of the way, now!" Scarlett shouted to the passengers who were crowding the train.  
  
"Fuck you, bitch!" someone yelled.  
  
"Move your fat asses!" Jinx threatened, brandishing her rifle and looking behind. She saw the two Vipers coming at them between the cars. With a clear line of sight, Jinx pulled up her rifle and squeezed off two rounds, causing the Vipers to duck for cover and sending the passengers in their car into a state of panic.  
  
"Move, move, move!" Scarlett ordered as the three of them moved for the next car.  
  
When they got onto the next train car, the train began slowing down. They had just pulled into Grand Central.  
  
Scarlett led Jinx and Snake Eyes out of the train, and they raced through the subway tunnels. A few shots rang out behind them. It was the two Vipers who had pursued them on the train. Snake Eyes and Jinx both pulled up, took aim, and downed each of the Vipers with a bullet to the head.  
  
"Nice shooting," Scarlett said as they ran out into the main concourse.  
  
Scarlett gasped as she and her friends came up face to face with Duke and the four Vipers.  
  
"Not so fast, Scarlett," Duke said as he aimed his handgun at her face. Duke and the four Vipers now faced Scarlett, Jinx, and Snake Eyes in an armed standoff, in the middle of a busy Grand Central Station.  
  
Scarlett did not know what to do. If anyone began shooting, it would not be pretty for either side.  
  
"Duke, look at me, don't do this," Scarlett said, remembering that she had been able to break Snake Eyes from Cobra's control.  
  
"Shut up. Drop your weapons now, or we will shoot."  
  
Duke's face was a mask of hatred and anger.  
  
"You're my friend," Scarlett said, "you're G.I. JOE. Listen to me. What does that mean to you?"  
  
Scarlett met his eyes and gazed into them, peering through the brainwashed exterior, into his soul.  
  
"Duke," Scarlett pleaded as she trained her firearm on Duke's head, "we've been through too much together for it to end this way. I know part of you is struggling now, fighting against what Cobra is telling you to do. Duke, you have to fight back."  
  
"Let's waste them!" one of the Vipers said.  
  
Duke held up his hand to stop them.  
  
"No one fires until I say so!" he commanded.  
  
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Duke said to Scarlett in an even voice. "trust me, you don't want to do this the hard way because it involves you leaving this station in a body bag."  
  
"No, I don't believe that. Duke, I know that deep inside, you care for me."  
  
Snake Eyes and Jinx stood behind Scarlett, poised to shoot.  
  
One of the Vipers sneered, "Aw, listen to that. Isn't that sweet."  
  
Scarlett ignored him.  
  
"Duke, I think you might even have loved me. And once, there was a time when I might have loved you too. In another life, in another time, we could have shared a life together. You know that deep inside, don't you?"  
  
Duke's eyebrows twitched. He was in emotional turmoil now, but the other Vipers standing behind him did not see this.  
  
"Shut the hell up! I swear--"  
  
"Duke, I care about you. It breaks my heart to see what Cobra has done to you. But Duke, if you do this now, Cobra will win. We have a fighting chance. We need you."  
  
Duke's forefinger trembled on his handgun trigger. Part of him wanted to shoot her, but another part, his true self, was fighting back. Scarlett closed her eyes.  
  
"I need you," she said.  
  
"This is fucking bullshit," one of the Vipers said. "Drop your guns now, motherfuckers!"  
  
"Scarlett," Duke said in a tremulous voice, his handgun never leaving Scarlett's face. Scarlett opened her eyes.  
  
"Run!" Duke cried as he spun around and fired on the Vipers standing behind him and beside him. He shot one Viper and turned to shoot another before the three remaining Vipers turned at once and nailed him at point blank range.  
  
Scarlett's eyes went wide.  
  
"No!" she cried as she, Snake Eyes, and Jinx immediately opened up on the Vipers standing before them. All three Vipers went down in a rain of bullets, and a growing pool of blood formed beneath their limp, twitching bodies.  
  
Scarlett had emptied her entire clip of ammo in her handgun. She tossed the weapon aside and went down to Duke's side.  
  
Duke groaned as Scarlett lifted him off the floor with one hand. Snake Eyes tore open Duke's black suit and white shirt, which were now stained with blood. He had been shot several times through his vital abdominal organs and the internal bleeding was heavy.  
  
"Duke," Scarlett moaned in dismay as Duke blinked and looked at her hazily. She tried to lift Duke off the floor and help him to his feet, but Duke cried out in agony.  
  
"Leave me, I'm dying," Duke said with heavy, forced breaths.  
  
"I won't leave you," Scarlett said.  
  
"You must," Duke said calmly. "More will be here soon unless you get out of here now... the enemy is seconds away..."  
  
Scarlett laid Duke down on the floor and cradled him in her arms.  
  
"I blew it," Duke said, "I'm sorry."  
  
"No," Scarlett whispered, "It's not your fault."  
  
Scarlett could envision now all the memories she and Duke had experienced together. The battles, the adventures. Was this how it would all end? No, she could not accept this. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair.  
  
"Listen," Duke said, "you can beat them. You can win this war."  
  
"We will," Scarlett said, blinded by her tears.  
  
"Good-bye," Duke said as he took Scarlett's hand and squeezed it tightly. He released her hand and took hold of his handgun, grimacing with pain as he did so.  
  
"Now... go, G.I. JOE. I've got your rear covered... Leave me... That's an order!"  
  
Scarlett stood and nodded to Snake Eyes and Jinx. They all saluted, took one last look at Duke, and said their good-byes. Duke dragged himself along the floor and propped himself against one of the fallen Viper's bodies. He was prepared to fight to the very end against any Cobras that came his way.  
  
A crowd of onlookers had formed near the scene, and Scarlett waved them all off.  
  
"Get out of the way!" she screamed as she, Snake Eyes, and Jinx raced for the exit and the streets beyond. 


	7. Remembrance of Things Past

After evading Cobra forces for an entire afternoon, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and Jinx trudged up the stairs of the apartment building. For the last two weeks, Scarlett, Mainframe, and Lifeline had been quietly living in an unremarkable little apartment building in Queens, close to Manhattan.  
  
Scarlett was tired from the events of the last 24 hours. She had been captured, taken to the Marriot in Times Square, and threatened with torture by Snake Eyes. Jinx had failed to show up at the rendezvous in Grand Central because she had seen Duke and become suspicious. Following Scarlett, Jinx had tracked her to the hotel. While waiting and strategizing her next move, she had seen Scarlett and Snake Eyes attempt to escape and had decided that it was time for her to intervene. Jinx told Scarlett all of this when they had finally succeeded in losing their pursuers.  
  
And they had lost Duke.  
  
It was a lot to swallow in one day.  
  
Scarlett knocked on the door of the apartment.  
  
"Who's there?" Mainframe said from within.  
  
"It's me," Scarlett said. Shortly after, the door opened, and Mainframe, holding his gun out as a precautionary measure, expressed surprised pleasure at seeing Snake Eyes and Jinx.  
  
"You've brought friends," Mainframe smiled. "Come in."  
  
Over dinner, the five reunited Joes sat around a small dining table, and Scarlett filled in Mainframe and Lifeline on what had happened. The relief of Mainframe and Lifeline at seeing Scarlett alive and well, after having feared for her capture or death, was plainly visible.  
  
Scarlett now related the intelligence she had received from Dr. Mindbender, and laid out their plan.  
  
"We have the means to carry out our mission," Scarlett said with confidence. "We have guns, bullets, grenades, flame throwers, and bombs."  
  
Scarlett looked to Mainframe and Lifeline. Most of the arms they had obtained had come from the raid they had carried out against Cobra's arms supply line. Mainframe nodded in understanding. Lifeline just looked down and averted his eyes.  
  
"We know how the brainwashing is being done, and we know their headquarters is at the Rockefeller Center. We're going to have to act soon. But we need to know more."  
  
"Mainframe," Scarlett said, "I need to go on a scouting mission, and I want you to accompany me."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Tomorrow morning," Scarlett said. "We'll sneak back into Manhattan in disguise and try to get as close as possible to the Rockefeller Center. Find out what's going on over there. I don't even know what the place looks like. We need a better idea of what we're up against."  
  
"What about the rest of us?" Jinx asked, sipping on her can of soda.  
  
"The three of you stay here tomorrow. Mainframe and I will go alone. When we come back, we'll begin preparations for our real mission immediately."  
  
Scarlett looked around the table.  
  
"All right, everything's understood. Thanks for the dinner, Lifeline."  
  
"Don't mention it," Lifeline said, looking at the empty plates. "It's nothing compared to what Roadblock would have made, though."  
  
They all nodded sadly in remembrance of their fallen friend.  
  
* * *  
  
The others had gone to sleep. Mainframe and Lifeline were in one room. Scarlett shared the second room with Jinx. Scarlett slowly and quietly opened the door of her bedroom and walked out into the living room, where Snake Eyes had elected to spend the night on the sofa. He lay down on the sofa, covered by a blanket, with the light on. Snake Eyes was not sleeping yet.  
  
He was cleaning his Uzi. Scarlett watched him methodically wipe the shaft of the weapon with a rag.  
  
Snake Eyes looked up at her.  
  
"Hey, you," Scarlett said lovingly.  
  
All day, the two of them had been caught up in their frantic escape and flight from Cobra. They had scarcely been able to enjoy their reunion. Now, in the still of the night, with no sounds except the faint hum of the cars running through the streets below, Scarlett and Snake Eyes could finally enjoy each other's company, alone and undisturbed.  
  
Snake Eyes carefully placed the Uzi on the coffee table, moved the blanket off the sofa, and sat up at one end. He motioned toward the sofa, inviting her to have a seat.  
  
Scarlett smiled as she sat down next to him.  
  
"Can't sleep?" Snake Eyes signed to her.  
  
"We have a lot to talk about," Scarlett said.  
  
"I guess we do."  
  
"Snake Eyes," Scarlett looked into his eyes, "I always wanted to ask you, if you felt this way about me for so long, why didn't you tell me?"  
  
Snake Eyes dropped his eyes downward in thought. After a few moments, Scarlett reached out with a hand and gently lifted his chin, tilting his head upward to face her. Both of them knew what the other was thinking. The painful, distant moments of their lives rose to the surface now, bobbing above the vast ocean of their memories.  
  
* * *  
  
"We're going down! Get ready to jump!"  
  
The pilot's voice rose above the turbulent chaos of the moment. Scarlett felt herself shake violently with the chopper as it lurched downward in the blistering heat of the sandstorm. The desert floor rapidly rose up to meet them. Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlett could see the other chopper floundering over the desert sands, experiencing similar problems keeping a controlled course of movement. Everything was moving so rapidly, Scarlett barely perceived that the chopper was about to crash, but in a fatal moment, she hesitated. Momentarily paralyzed with fear and indecision, Scarlett looked to her left.  
  
"Come on, let's go!" Rock `N Roll and Grunt both jumped through the open left door of the chopper.  
  
"Scarlett, come on!" Snake Eyes shouted above the noise of the chopper's tortured engine and the diffuse noise of the sandy winds as he waved her on. He stood at the left door of the chopper, ready to jump, but he would not jump until he was sure of Scarlett's safety.  
  
Scarlett broke out of her momentary lapse of concentration and rose to join him. At that moment, the chopper went into a horrendous spin, and before she could lurch toward Snake Eyes' side of the chopper, the right door slammed shut on her web gear.  
  
"Arrrgghhh!" Snake Eyes cried as he was thrown off balance. He quickly grabbed the edge of the door, steadied himself, and looked back to Scarlett.  
  
"Scarlett!" Snake Eyes shouted. She was trapped.  
  
The chopper would crash in a matter of seconds, and the other chopper was drawing dangerously close.  
  
"Leave me, get out of here!" Scarlett yelled to Snake Eyes. She pulled at the entrapped gear, silently cursing her misfortune at getting stuck at such an inopportune moment.  
  
"Snake Eyes, no!" Scarlett cried out as Snake Eyes, steadying his helmet with one hand and gripping his rifle with the other, made his way to Scarlett's side of the chopper.  
  
"I won't let you die!" Snake Eyes shouted as he attempted to force open the chopper door with his left hand.  
  
At that moment, the second chopper's rotor blades collided with their own chopper. It pierced an aviation fuel tank, sending a searing jet of flame through the chopper window, right next to Snake Eyes' face. The glass shattered and Snake Eyes' head was instantly enveloped in flame. Scarlett saw all of this with horror. Before she could call out Snake Eyes' name, Snake Eyes succeeded in forcing the chopper door open with a titanic effort of will. Scarlett felt herself finally freed from her entrapment, and Snake Eyes grabbed her with both arms, holding her tightly as their chopper met the ground in a thunderous and violent crash.  
  
Everything went black at the moment of impact...  
  
Six months later  
  
His head wrapped in white bandages, his eyes covered by dark sunglasses, his head covered by an army cap, Snake Eyes leaned on the rail of the pier and gazed out to the ocean beyond.  
  
He said nothing.  
  
His face, covered and concealed from the world, betrayed no emotion.  
  
Scarlett approached him from behind.  
  
"His head was... was on fire, Scarlett," Rock `N Roll's voice echoed in her head.  
  
"Me and Grunt saw him carry you out in his arms. His face, his neck... were burnt. He was opening his mouth, trying to say something to us. But no sound came out."  
  
Scarlett stood next to Snake Eyes and joined him in gazing out to the sea. It was the first time she had seen him since that fateful mission in the desert.  
  
"You were out cold," Rock `N Roll's voice rang out forcefully in her consciousness. "But you didn't have a single burn or bruise on your body. Not even a single scratch."  
  
He gave his body for me, Scarlett thought to herself as she and Snake Eyes turned to face each other. He gave up his face and his voice to save me. How can I possibly repay him? What words could I say to express the depth of my gratitude to him?  
  
But as they silently looked at each other, Scarlett knew that not even the Poet Laureate could compose words fitting enough.  
  
So Scarlett said nothing, only reaching out to put her hands on his shoulders. Snake Eyes looked down to one of her hands and stood there impassively. He trembled.  
  
Slowly, Snake Eyes took her hands in his and stepped backward from her. They squeezed each other's hands. For what seemed an eternity, the two friends looked at each other with their hands clasped.  
  
Snake Eyes let go, walking backward a few steps, his eyes not leaving Scarlett's face. Scarlett wanted to say something.  
  
Say something, anything! Don't let him go. For God's sake, don't let him walk away and leave you like this...  
  
But the words dried up in her throat. A tear trickled down her cheek as she watched Snake Eyes turn and walk away.  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett moved closer to Snake Eyes on the sofa and touched his hand. Her fingers lightly brushed over Snake Eyes' fingers and curled over the edge of his little finger, and Snake Eyes responded by gently closing his hand on her fingers.  
  
"You saved my life that day," Scarlett said. "And you never gave me a chance to thank you. I always knew you cared about me to do something like that. I wanted to become closer to you, Snake Eyes. But you pushed me away. You never let me in."  
  
Scarlett withdrew her hand from Snake Eyes' hand and put both of her hands on either side of his masked face.  
  
"Why?"  
  
* * *  
  
The days flew by, one by one. Snake Eyes had returned from the hospital and was now an active member of G.I. JOE again. He never showed his face to anyone. He was shrouded in mystery, always dressed in dark colors, and always covered his face with a mask. No sound emanated from his lips, only occasional signs and symbols from his hands. Even then, he was laconic. No one could tell how he felt inside.  
  
But Scarlett wanted to know.  
  
"I'd give anything to know what you're thinking," Scarlett said to Snake Eyes as they stood together in the training room.  
  
"I wish I knew what you were really feeling. I wish you would show me a sign."  
  
But Snake Eyes said nothing to her. He only turned his head away, as if in shame.  
  
"Snake Eyes, I came down here looking for you."  
  
Snake Eyes cocked his head at her, as if to ask, what the hell for?  
  
"You've gone out of your way to avoid me. You won't share meals with me in the mess hall. You won't train with me, or even say anything to me other than hello. We can be in the same room, but as soon as I come near you, you tense up and shut up. It's as if I'm setting off your alarms in your head, and you're putting up your defenses. You're building up walls against me. I want us to be friends again, Snake Eyes. What's stopping us from being friends?"  
  
Snake Eyes averted his gaze and stared at the floor.  
  
"Snake Eyes," Scarlett said, putting a hand on his shoulder, feeling him tense up as she did so, "let's go someplace. We could take the ferry to Manhattan, take a walk, maybe get something to eat. Just you and me. How about it? I can tell you're unhappy. I can see how lonely you are, and I want you to be happy. You don't have to be constantly alone. I'm here for you, now. That's what friends are for."  
  
Scarlett gave him an inviting smile and tried to meet his eyes.  
  
"So what do you say? Come on, let's go out and have a nice time..."  
  
Snake Eyes could only shake his head. He lifted a hand and waved at her, as if silently begging her to leave.  
  
Crestfallen, Scarlett sighed in genuine disappointment. She turned and walked out of the training room.  
  
"Well, if you change your mind..."  
  
Snake Eyes wanted nothing more than to reach out to her and take her hand. He would have given the world to go out on the town with Scarlett. He knew he would have delighted in her company. The red hair flowing in the breeze as they stood together on the Staten Island ferry would exert a hypnotic effect. Her green eyes would sing to him a gentle lullaby, a song of her caring and friendship. That slender waist asking to be held... those sweet lips inviting his own--these things called out to him, drew him toward her with a tremendous magnetic pull.  
  
He was attracted to her. Everything in her moved him to love her more. Snake Eyes loved the way she looked, the way she bore herself with confidence and steadiness, the way she could be so cheerful. Her effervescent spirit was to him a shining light. Scarlett was as beautiful as a woman could be, but she was unlike any woman Snake Eyes had ever met. There was something special about her that he could hardly put into words. He could imagine her voice, speaking to him from across a great distance, from across a vast and boundless sea, the words soothing his heart with a tender touch...  
  
I'm here for you, Snake Eyes. All you have to do is reach out your hand into the cold night sky and extend your arm to the stars. You would touch the face of an angel if you so wished. You would touch my heart. I have a heart capable of loving another with a deep and soulful love, Snake Eyes. What a wondrous feeling it would be to discover that you held in yourself such a heart as well!  
  
But he was unworthy of her. He knew this instinctively. It was not only his ruined face and vocal cords. His soul was dark and filled with pain. It seemed to him that his lot in life was to suffer and lose those he cared most for. He had lost his entire family and his closest friends. Could he bear to lose Scarlett? Moreover, could he allow himself to put Scarlett in danger from the dark cloud of ill fate that followed him all his life?  
  
In loving her, he would destroy her.  
  
No, Snake Eyes decided, it was much better to remain at arm's length, loving her from a distance. He would deny himself the happiness of being close to her. As much as it hurt him to see her disappointed by him, Snake Eyes knew that what he did was for her own good. He decided he would give up the possibility of a close friendship with Scarlett in order to protect her. He would sacrifice his happiness in order to save her.  
  
Every day, Snake Eyes woke up loving Scarlett, and every day, he put thoughts of his love for her aside. Every day that Snake Eyes turned away from Scarlett, pushed her away, and kept her at arm's length, he could see Scarlett's growing sadness and frustration. She cared for him. Perhaps she even cared for him as more than a friend? Day by day, Snake Eyes watched the strength of her feeling for him fade. It was so very painful to him to watch her express her caring for him less and less each day. She knew her feeling would not be returned, and it discouraged her. Every time she invited him out someplace, hoping to spend time with him and nurture their relationship, she went away empty handed. Snake Eyes sensed that he was hurting Scarlett, but perhaps it was in order to save her from greater hurt that he did so.  
  
And as Scarlett's feeling toward Snake Eyes diminished, his own feeling for her grew. The more he denied himself the pleasure of her company, the more he desired it. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and let her know how much he loved her. He wrote long love letters to Scarlett but never had the courage to show them to her. Each letter that he wrote ended up folded inside his little composition book, a secret treasure that he hoped Scarlett would one day find.  
  
One day, most of the Joes were having lunch together in the mess hall, and Scarlett sat at a table with Stalker and Cover Girl, not saying much and looking uncharacteristically morose.  
  
"Scarlett?"  
  
Scarlett turned around in her seat to see Duke standing near her.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"A bunch of us guys are heading out to town to see a movie, have dinner, and hang out," Duke said, pointing to a table where Ace, Breaker, Wild Bill, and Shipwreck were sitting and playing a game of poker.  
  
"Why, you slick bastard," Shipwreck said in awe as Ace showed his buddies a full house.  
  
"I was wondering if you'd like to join us," Duke smiled at her.  
  
"Well, Duke, I..." Scarlett paused in mid-sentence and glanced in Snake Eyes' direction. Snake Eyes was sitting alone in a corner table, quietly reading a book. She wished it was Snake Eyes asking her this question.  
  
"Scarlett?"  
  
"Sure, I... I'd like that. It sounds great," Scarlett said, smiling weakly.  
  
* * *  
  
"I never stopped loving you," Snake Eyes signed to Scarlett.  
  
"You tried to keep it to yourself all those years, but finally you had to tell me," Scarlett said with understanding.  
  
"I have nothing to offer you. I don't deserve to be loved by you," Snake Eyes signed.  
  
"That's not true, you have so much to offer me, Snake Eyes. You give so much of yourself to me. No one else is more deserving of my love."  
  
Scarlett gently pulled at the edges of Snake Eyes' mask, and Snake Eyes reached up with his hands and placed them on hers.  
  
"Let us never again hide our true selves from one another, Snake Eyes."  
  
The mask slowly came off, and Scarlett looked into Snake Eyes' tragically scarred face.  
  
"Be careful tomorrow," Snake Eyes signed to her.  
  
"I will. Take a chance on me, Snake Eyes. Won't you trust me when I say to you that everything is going to be all right? Please, don't be so afraid to love me. We've already lost so much time, shouldn't we cherish every moment together as a gift, instead of worrying for the future?"  
  
Snake Eyes leaned forward and kissed her for the first time. The kiss was sweet and gentle, like a soft kiss goodnight.  
  
Scarlett felt herself growing tired. She had a long day ahead of her. But she wasn't ready to go back to her room just yet. If she could just stay here in Snake Eyes' arms, just a little longer...  
  
Snake Eyes smiled at Scarlett, sleeping soundly on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her. With his free hand, Snake Eyes reached down for the blanket and laid it over her shoulders. Scarlett gave a murmur of contentment as she snuggled closely to Snake Eyes.  
  
Snake Eyes kept watch over her all through the night, caressing the fair tendrils of red hair that draped over her lovely face, feeling the warm breath on his hands. His mouth moved in silence, singing a sweet lullaby that no one heard but he alone. 


	8. Forbidden Love

Scarlett awoke to Mainframe standing before the sofa, leaning over her and poking at her cheek.  
  
"Wake up, sleeping beauty," Mainframe said with a cheerful smirk.  
  
The sunlight was beginning to penetrate the closed curtains, filling the living from with a dull glow. Scarlett blinked several times before realizing that she had fallen asleep while in Snake Eyes' arms. Snake Eyes was asleep. One arm was drawn around her shoulder, and another hand rested on her forehead. Scarlett considered what a sight this must be to Mainframe. She did not think Mainframe had ever seen the two of them openly displaying affection toward one another.  
  
Scarlett carefully extricated herself from Snake Eyes, not wanting to disturb him, but Snake Eyes was roused from his sleep. While Scarlett washed up in the bathroom, Mainframe and Snake Eyes stood together in the living room.  
  
Mainframe gave a congenial smile at Snake Eyes, trying not to look surprised at the sight of Snake Eyes' face. Come to think of it, he had never seen Snake Eyes' true face before. He only knew the stories the other Joes told him. He knew the story of how Snake Eyes had lost his face and his voice to rescue Scarlett from certain death. Snake Eyes grew self-conscious in the presence of Mainframe and reached over to the coffee table for his mask.  
  
Before Snake Eyes could put on the mask, Scarlett appeared and joined him and Mainframe in the living room.  
  
"Ready?" Scarlett looked to Mainframe, who nodded. They each had semiautomatic handguns and their disguises.  
  
"How do I look?" Scarlett modeled herself in front of Snake Eyes, slowly turning in a full circle and holding her hands outward.  
  
She wore a black trench coat and a wig of long black hair. A beige scarf was wrapped around her neck, and a gray ski cap covered her head.  
  
Snake Eyes and Mainframe looked at each other, turned to Scarlett, and flashed her a thumbs up.  
  
"It's gotta be the hair," Mainframe said. Snake Eyes nodded in agreement.  
  
Mainframe, meanwhile, was dressed in jeans and a thick blue winter jacket. He too wore a ski cap, as well as a pair of glasses and a fake mustache.  
  
Scarlett walked toward Snake Eyes and reached out to put her hands on his shoulders. In front of Mainframe, Scarlett leaned into his arms and kissed Snake Eyes on the lips.  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett and Mainframe looked out the window of the diner as they ate their breakfast. Outside, HISS tanks and STUN vehicles lined the street curbs. Two blocks away, the street was blocked off and Vipers stood guard. Pedestrians walked along the streets, but none passed the barrier except for Cobra personnel. Beyond the barrier lay the Rockefeller Center. Scarlett knew she needed a closer look.  
  
"You love him," Mainframe said softly to Scarlett, interrupting her train of thought.  
  
Scarlett smiled, looked down, and blushed like a schoolgirl. She raised her eyes and looked Mainframe in the eye.  
  
"Don't you?" Mainframe said with a smile.  
  
"Yes," Scarlett affirmed, "I do."  
  
"I knew you loved him, I once heard you calling out his name in your sleep. I think you must have been dreaming of being with Snake Eyes. You said, `Snake Eyes!'"  
  
Mainframe demonstrated by holding his hands upward as if in supplication.  
  
"You said, `Snake Eyes, don't leave me.'"  
  
"Is that so?" Scarlett said between sips of her coffee.  
  
"What about you," Scarlett turned the tables on Mainframe, putting him on the spot, "isn't there anyone special in your life?"  
  
"Me?" Mainframe was taken aback.  
  
"Sure," Scarlett insinuated, leaning forward, "Come on, Mainframe, you know all about my love life. I don't know anything about yours. Don't tell me a good-looking guy like you hasn't had someone special in your life. Why, I bet if you weren't spending so much time around your computers, hacking into enemy networks in service of your country, the girls would be falling head over heels for you. Am I right here, or what? Hmmmm? Come on, you can share your secrets with me."  
  
Mainframe opened his mouth as if to say something, but he instead shut up, frowned, and looked out the window toward the street barriers. As he watched the Cobra soldiers patrolling the streets among the citizens of New York, he could hear the voice with perfect clarity...  
  
...What can I say? I guess I got a soft spot for you, Mainframe...  
  
It was a harsh voice. This woman's voice was not gentle and sweet, like Scarlett's. It was hard edged, with sharp inflections. But it seemed to Mainframe that beneath the cold exterior of this voice was a glimmer of something else. It was a hidden ray of warmth.  
  
The voice of Zarana.  
  
"No," Mainframe stared out the window.  
  
Scarlett's jocular attitude turned to one of empathy and caring.  
  
"Never," Mainframe said sadly.  
  
Scarlett touched Mainframe's hand.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back any painful memories. Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
Scarlett felt her heart ache as she watched a single tear well up in Mainframe's eye and trickle slowly down his cheek, all while his gaze remained fixed on the streets outside.  
  
* * *  
  
With as casual a manner as possible, Scarlett and Mainframe strolled together around the Rockefeller Center. The entire area around the Cobra base was blocked off to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. As Scarlett and Mainframe walked a circuitous route around the perimeter, they glanced past the barriers, hoping to catch a glimpse of the base. They were careful not to linger too long, for fear of arousing suspicion.  
  
On Fifth Avenue, Scarlett and Mainframe crossed 47^th and 48^th Street for the second time. They both came to a pause a safe distance from the barricade. Scarlett took a seat on a bench while Mainframe loitered nearby, taking short looks at their objective.  
  
"I see a lot of HISS tanks lining the streets," Mainframe said in a low voice as he pretended to be talking into a cell phone while Scarlett pretended to read the New York Daily News.  
  
"There's a heavily guarded fortress across the street from the NBC building," Scarlett observed. The fortress was a concrete monstrosity, a plain, angular thing with no architectural aesthetics whatsoever.  
  
"I don't think that was there before," Mainframe said. "Isn't that where they used to have the Christmas tree and the skating rink?"  
  
"Yeah," Scarlett replied. "Do you think it could be what we've been looking for all these months?"  
  
"Could be," Mainframe said. "It fits the description I've seen, after hacking into Cobra's network. There's something else."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Serpentor could be here as well. This could be the home base for Cobra's top leaders."  
  
"Are you serious?" Scarlett said, surprised.  
  
"Yeah. Wait, hold on a minute. What's this?"  
  
Mainframe gazed across the barricade, where he could see part of the suspected Cobra fortress. From where he stood, he could see Zarana coming out, leading a small squad of Vipers.  
  
"Zarana..." Mainframe said softly.  
  
Scarlett heard, and she looked up to Mainframe, who looked lost and confused.  
  
* * *  
  
Dressed in civilian clothing, Mainframe sat across the table from a pretty woman in a black dress, with angular facial features and long brown hair.  
  
"How have you been?" Mainframe asked the woman, who was Zarana in disguise.  
  
"I've been all right. Nothing new at Cobra. Just the same ol' plots to take over the world. And you?"  
  
"Oh me?" Mainframe said in the same tone of mock-seriousness. "Nothing new with me either. Just hanging around making the world safe for freedom. The usual."  
  
The waiter arrived at their table and served their dinners.  
  
"Mainframe," Zarana said softly, "We can't go on like this, sneaking around to see each other. They'd find out sooner or later. We'd both be in a world of shit."  
  
"I know," Mainframe said.  
  
"I mean, look at us. We make quite a couple, don't we? You're a Joe, and I'm Cobra. You're a guardian of freedom, and I'm a... a no good criminal."  
  
"It doesn't have to be this way," Mainframe reasoned, "you can still turn your life around."  
  
"I would... but I... I can't. If I left, Zartan would consider it as a betrayal. He would never forgive me. He's my brother, and I love him. I ain't never lived an honest life. All my life, I've been cheating and stealing. The only times I've ever been honest is when I'm with you."  
  
Zarana put a hand on Mainframe's. Their fingers intertwined.  
  
Mainframe felt his heart skip a beat. It was true. How could she, a hardened Cobra operative, be so tender and gentle toward him?  
  
Zarana smiled affectionately at him.  
  
"What can I say? I guess I got a soft spot for you, Mainframe."  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett was getting worried now. Mainframe appeared frozen and entranced. If he didn't look away, he was sure to give them away.  
  
"Mainframe," Scarlett whispered. Mainframe was lost in his memories.  
  
From a distance of fifty yards, Zarana turned toward them. At first glance, she paid them no mind, but something caught her eye, and she looked toward them a second time. As Zartan and the squad of Vipers stood nearby, Zarana alone gazed inquisitively toward the street barricades where, on the other side, Mainframe stood looking back.  
  
For what seemed an eternity, Mainframe and Zarana stared at each other. Mainframe was admiring how beautiful Zarana was, and how little she had changed since they had last seen each other. Zarana apparently had not recognized Mainframe, but her curiosity had been piqued.  
  
Scarlett slowly reached behind the bench and pinched Mainframe in the leg, jolting him from his daydream.  
  
"Time to leave," Scarlett ordered, rising from her bench. "Turn around slowly and walk with me. Slowly. Make it look like we're just taking a stroll. Do you understand?"  
  
"I got it," Mainframe said as he took one last look and turned around.  
  
As the two of them headed away from the street barrier, Scarlett sensed that she was being watched.  
  
"Zarana's coming this way."  
  
"She is?"  
  
"Just keep walking and don't turn around."  
  
From the other side of the barrier, Zarana took a few steps toward the two mysterious strangers she had seen, one of whom had, it seemed to her, been staring at her very intensely. There was something familiar about this man, which she could not place.  
  
"Sister, where are you going?" Zartan asked.  
  
"You boys excuse me for a moment," Zarana pleaded, "I just want to check something out. I'll be right back."  
  
Zarana continued on toward the street barrier.  
  
"What the hell was that all about, anyway?" Scarlett hissed angrily to Mainframe. "You gave us away back there. It's a wonder we're not being shot at right now."  
  
"How far away is she?"  
  
"About forty yards. Just keep going. We'll lose her in the crowd in Times Square."  
  
* * *  
  
Mainframe pulled Zarana beneath the awning of the restaurant. The rain poured down hard, and the awning offered them shelter for the moment. Zarana looked into his eyes, and Mainframe caressed her cheek. A tear fell from Zarana's eyes, and Mainframe gently wiped her face clean.  
  
"If we should meet on the opposite sides in a fight..." Zarana began.  
  
"We have to do what we have to do."  
  
"I don't want to hurt you, Mainframe. I want you to know that. I couldn't hurt you. It would break my heart."  
  
"I couldn't hurt you, either."  
  
Their faces we're so near, their noses nearly touched.  
  
"I wish there could be another way," Zarana said, her voice breaking with emotion.  
  
"One day, Zarana," Mainframe said tenderly, "we'll find a way."  
  
"I love you," Zarana said. "I always will."  
  
Mainframe leaned in closer and their lips met. The kiss was tentative at first. As they grew more comfortable with each other, their lips melded into one. Zarana put her arms around Mainframe and held him tightly, as their bodies melted into each other. For a sweet infinity, they became drunk on each other's presence. Their tongues explored each other's mouths as their lips crushed against each other, always striving to draw each other closer. Mainframe, floored by their mutual passion for each other, felt his knees weaken, and he knew that Zarana felt the same way. Never before had he known such all-consuming hunger for a woman as he hungered and thirsted for Zarana.  
  
Their love was an impossible one. Perhaps it was the impossibility of their love that made Zarana all the more desirable for him. His desire to possess all of her, body and soul, was amplified a million-fold by the knowledge that he must deny himself of the joy of loving her.  
  
Oblivious to the passing pedestrians and the noise of the street traffic, Mainframe and Zarana shared their last sweet moment together.  
  
* * *  
  
"Shit," Zarana mused as she walked down Broadway, trying to navigate through the crowd. She turned a full 360 degrees, looking for a sign of the mysterious man she had seen. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but passing cars and unfamiliar faces. Where could he have gone?  
  
Scarlett smiled with satisfaction as she and Mainframe briskly walked through Times Square, turning a corner and increasing their distance from Zarana. Scarlett knew they had lost her. They were no longer in Zarana's line of sight, and Zarana had become a little disoriented by the crowd.  
  
"Well, that was a close one," Scarlett said, slipping an arm around Mainframe's arm as they walked together through the maze of New York's streets.  
  
Mainframe said nothing. He looked very sad. Scarlett could tell what he was thinking and feeling. She had not been aware of a relationship between Mainframe and Zarana, but she was certain now.  
  
"You love her," Scarlett said, causing Mainframe to turn to her in surprise. He expected an angry reprimand, but instead he only saw compassion and warmth.  
  
"Don't you?" Scarlett smiled. 


	9. The Final Conflict

From the rooftop of a tall apartment building several blocks away, Scarlett carefully peered through her binoculars. The situation of the Cobra fortress had not changed much since Scarlett and Mainframe had scouted the area the day before. Now, the five Joes, Scarlett, Mainframe, Snake Eyes, Lifeline, and Jinx, huddled together on the rooftop, keeping low to avoid detection.  
  
They would act under cover of darkness. It was nearly midnight. Scarlett handed the binoculars to Jinx.  
  
"That's the transmission antenna," Scarlett said to Jinx as she pointed to the roof of the concrete Cobra building.  
  
"You know the plan," Scarlett said. "You and Lifeline are to take out the antenna."  
  
Jinx put down the binoculars. She and Lifeline nodded.  
  
"The rest of us," Scarlett said, looking to Snake Eyes and Mainframe, "are going to penetrate the complex and destroy the rest of their communications equipment."  
  
Everyone nodded. They were all dressed in stolen Viper uniforms. The Joes donned their Viper helmets and face plates, one by one.  
  
Scarlett was the last to put on her helmet.  
  
"This is it," she said.  
  
"What do we do once we achieve our objectives?" Lifeline asked.  
  
"Simple," Jinx answered. "Run like hell."  
  
"Everyone knows the rendezvous point in case we get separated during our escape, assuming we're successful in our mission."  
  
"Scarlett--" Mainframe said nervously, "what if we don't succeed?"  
  
"We must succeed," Scarlett said grimly.  
  
* * *  
  
The five Joes in disguise walked through the street barriers without any problems. One block away from the Cobra base, Scarlett paused near a Cobra HISS tank. She looked around.  
  
"Do it, you're clear," Jinx said.  
  
Scarlett reached into her vest and produced an explosive device that consisted of a wad of dynamite connected to a timer. Looking at her watch, Scarlett set the timer for fifteen minutes, activated the bomb, and hurriedly placed it beneath the HISS vehicle's fuel tank.  
  
Now that the bomb was in place, the five Joes approached the fortress straight on. The structure was about ten stories high. As they walked among the other Cobra Vipers passing in and out of the headquarters, Scarlett looked up and noticed the flight pods patrolling the city skies above. The search lamps of the flight pods moved swiftly and efficiently along the ground and the walls of the building, looking for intruders. Scarlett felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead. These helmets were so stuffy. How did these Vipers ever tolerate wearing these things all day long? She looked to her left and right and observed that no alarm had been sounded. Yet she felt so out in the open, so exposed. Scarlett shook her head and tried to clear her mind of such thoughts.  
  
To one side of the Cobra building, there was a large warehouse, which apparently had been set up as a motor pool. Scarlett saw a large number of STUNs and HISS tanks parked nearby. Cobra soldiers continued to file in and out of the base in a steady stream. Two Crimson Guards, standing on either side of the main entrance, nodded to the disguised Joes as they passed through.  
  
What the Joes saw immediately upon entering the building took them by surprise, and it was all Scarlett could do to keep from gasping in shock.  
  
There were a large number of American soldiers moving about the ground floor, carrying boxes of equipment, food, and supplies. The soldiers were dressed in their combat uniforms. Scarlett could see members from all four major services. Scarlett counted around a hundred American soldiers.  
  
"Falcon," Jinx said softly as she recognized Lieutenant Falcon unloading a box of food off a truck, which had come into the ground floor of the building through a side gate.  
  
Scarlett spotted Falcon, Cover Girl, Lady Jaye, and Stalker. Snake Eyes tensed upon seeing Stalker slapped in the face by the Baroness.  
  
"No slacking!" the Baroness said peremptorily.  
  
As Scarlett stood next to Snake Eyes, she felt for his hand and squeezed it.  
  
"Remember our mission," she said calmly before letting go of his hand.  
  
"Hey, you Vipers," a Crimson Guardsman said as he approached them. "Don't you have something better to do than stand around gawking at our slave labor?"  
  
Scarlett turned to the Crimson Guardsman and was about to utter a phony apology when the bomb exploded beneath the HISS tank outside, obliterating the tank in a massive fireball. Even from where Scarlett was standing, she could see the tremendous light emitted from the explosion and the way it splashed over the buildings, lighting up the entire block.  
  
"What the hell?" the Crimson Guardsman said, completely forgetting about Scarlett and the other disguised Joes, "Sound the alert!"  
  
The alarm sounded, and Cobra soldiers began rushing outside of the building in droves to meet the sudden threat.  
  
"Let's move, people, we don't have much time," Scarlett said to her teammates. Amidst the Cobras running back and forth, the Joes made their way to the stairwell, threw the door open, and raced up the stairs.  
  
Scarlett and Snake Eyes led the way up the stairwell. Halfway up the building, a half dozen Vipers on the way down met up with them.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" the lead Viper demanded.  
  
Scarlett and Snake Eyes answered by mowing down the Vipers with their silenced semiautomatic handguns.  
  
"Come on, we're almost there," Scarlett urged her teammates as they neared the top floor.  
  
"What we're looking for is right here," Mainframe informed Scarlett, stopping her at the seventh floor.  
  
"All right, this is where we split up," Scarlett said. "Jinx?"  
  
"I got it," Jinx said. She grabbed Lifeline by the arm and led him up the rest of the stairwell to the top.  
  
On the seventh floor, in the main communications room, a Televiper cried out, "Intruders in the stairwell!"  
  
Scarlett and Snake Eyes busted down the stairwell door at that moment and found themselves in a long hallway, which led to the communications room. A group of Vipers appeared in the hallway to intercept them, and Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and Mainframe gunned them down on sight.  
  
"Stop them!" a Viper shouted from inside the communications room. Vipers took cover on either side of the entrance to the communications room and began firing on the Joes, who took cover in a small side corridor.  
  
"Snake Eyes, your grenades," Scarlett said, and Snake Eyes nodded. He had already removed a grenade from his chest belt. He pulled the pin, held it tightly in his hand for a few moments, and then turned to hurl the grenade around the corner, down the hallway. It bounced and skittered down the floor, straight into the communications room.  
  
"Grenade!" a Viper cried before the explosion hit.  
  
"Let's move, move, move!" Scarlett cried as she led her teammates forward. Snake Eyes hurled another grenade through into the communications room amidst the cries and groans of the Cobra soldiers, and the second explosion rocked the floor, sending a plume of smoke into the hallway.  
  
A group of Vipers appeared behind them, coming in through the stairwell door, but Mainframe spotted them, turned, and fired on them, driving them back.  
  
The Joes had reached the communications room. Scarlett carefully stuck her head through the entrance to take a look and quickly jerked her head back as bullets flew at her, missing her head and hitting the wall.  
  
Scarlett turned to Snake Eyes. Mainframe was firing at the enemy behind them, trying to keep them at bay. He hurled a grenade at them, and the explosion blasted through the Vipers in the stairwell. After an outburst of pained cries, the stairwell was silent.  
  
Scarlett showed Snake Eyes three fingers, signifying the number of remaining Vipers in the room.  
  
"You shoot high, I'll shoot low," Scarlett whispered. Snake Eyes nodded, and he quickly stuck an Uzi through the door and began firing blindly at the enemies to the side of the door. Scarlett took advantage of the cover fire and dove through the entrance, firing at the Vipers with pistols in both hands. She rolled along the floor and fired at them all the way, killing all three of the enemies.  
  
When she came to a stop, Scarlett stood up. "The room is clear," she said as she tore off her Viper helmet and breathed in fresh air for the first time in what felt like ages.  
  
Snake Eyes and Mainframe came into the room, yanking off their helmets as well. The communications room was now littered with a dozen bodies of the enemy. Blood, bullet shells, and shrapnel were all over the place.  
  
An entire wall consisted of nothing but a series of computer consoles and flat screen monitors. Another wall was lined with shelves of compact discs, enclosed in a protective glass casing, which had been pierced with numerous bullets. The bodies of the three Vipers Scarlett had just taken out were splayed out along this side of the room.  
  
"Mainframe?" Scarlett asked, wanting confirmation that this was indeed their target.  
  
Mainframe sat down in front of one of the consoles, shoving the dead body of a Televiper out of the way. The keyboard was stained with the Televiper's blood. With a few rapid keystrokes, Mainframe entered Cobra's main network and took a look. He looked around the room at the other computers and walked over to the shelf of CDs. Smashing the glass casing with the butt of his rifle, Mainframe pulled out a couple of discs and loaded them into one of the computers. Endless lines of computer code filled the screen. Mainframe nodded.  
  
"This is it. Let's blow it up," Mainframe said, reaching into his knapsack for their plastic explosives.  
  
After carefully placing the explosives inside the computer hard drives, the rack of discs holding the brainwashing algorithms, and the network cables that lined the walls, Scarlett hooked the explosives up to a common detonator cord.  
  
"Are we clear?" she asked Snake Eyes and Mainframe, who were peering out into the open corridor.  
  
"Yeah," Mainframe said.  
  
Scarlett lit the fuse.  
  
"It's lit, let's get out of here!"  
  
* * *  
  
Elsewhere, on the rooftop, Jinx and Lifeline had taken out the squad of Vipers guarding the transmission antenna.  
  
"Did you have to kill that guy?" Lifeline said to Jinx, who had just hurled a ninja star into a Viper's throat.  
  
"Seeing as how he was trying to kill me, I'd say, yeah," Jinx said sarcastically to Lifeline. The two of them discarded their Viper helmets.  
  
All five of the Vipers who were guarding the antenna lay wounded or dying. They were no match for Jinx's combat skills.  
  
"I just don't want too many people to die."  
  
"Wait a minute. Didn't you kill a guy when you went on that raid with Scarlett and Mainframe?"  
  
Jinx placed a wad of plastic explosives on the antenna and prepared to light the fuse.  
  
"Yes, I did. But it's not something I want to do again."  
  
"Fair enough," Jinx said as she lit the fuse.  
  
"Come on, get away from the antenna," Jinx shouted as she turned to Lifeline.  
  
Suddenly, a flight pod appeared above them and lit them up with its search lamp. Lifeline turned his head away, momentarily blinded. The enemy flight pod opened fire, cutting down Jinx with shots to her shoulder and arm.  
  
"Jinx!" Lifeline cried. Amidst enemy fire, he raced to Jinx's side and attempted to drag her away, his eyes focused on the lit fuse.  
  
"Come on, it's gonna blow!" Lifeline shouted. Jinx managed to snap to attention and got up, just as Lifeline was hit in one of his arms.  
  
"Arghh!"  
  
Jinx pulled up an Uzi and unloaded a clip at the flight pod, causing it to take evasive action. The two wounded Joes ran together, away from the antenna. They supported each other with their good arms as they attempted to clear the antenna.  
  
The explosion knocked them both off their feet and hurled them clear toward the other side of the roof.  
  
Both Lifeline and Jinx were knocked out cold from the shock of the blast. Seconds later, a second explosion rocked the seventh floor, where Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and Mainframe had just taken care of their part of the mission.  
  
* * *  
  
"Jinx, come in," Scarlett said into her walkie talkie. The other end was ominously silent. Scarlett knew that Jinx and Lifeline had accomplished their mission, after she had heard the explosion on the rooftop.  
  
"Something's wrong," Scarlett said to Snake Eyes and Mainframe.  
  
"The enemy could be here any second now," Mainframe warned.  
  
"We have to check out the roof. I won't leave Jinx and Lifeline behind!"  
  
Scarlett led her teammates back up the stairwell toward the roof. They passed by more bodies of dead Vipers on the way. The door to the roof had been broken down. Five more dead Vipers lay in various positions on the roof, and the antenna had been completely obliterated. Scarlett saw the motionless forms of Jinx and Lifeline and ran toward them.  
  
"They're wounded," Mainframe said.  
  
"I need bandages," Scarlett said. She held out her hand, and Snake Eyes placed a wad of wrapping in her hand.  
  
"Thanks," Scarlett said as she dressed Jinx's and Lifeline's wounds.  
  
Two flight pods appeared in the night sky above them. Their search lights illuminated the entire rooftop.  
  
"We've got you surrounded. Don't move or you're dead," one of the enemy pilots said through a loudspeaker.  
  
Snake Eyes wanted to shoot at them, but Scarlett stayed his hand.  
  
"Don't," Scarlett ordered. Snake Eyes reluctantly assented as he, Scarlett, and Mainframe threw their weapons to the floor. Scarlett felt satisfaction at having accomplished her mission, but sadness in having failed to escape. Below them, Scarlett could see Cobra soldiers converging on the headquarters. Everyone in Cobra was now aware of what had just taken place, and there would be no escape. There was no question of trying to escape now, with Jinx and Lifeline incapacitated.  
  
"I wanted the pleasure of killing you all personally," a voice came from the stairwell.  
  
The Joes turned to face Serpentor as he walked through the stairwell door. Behind him strode Destro, the Baroness, Zartan, Zarana, Buzzer, Ripper, Torch, and a pair of Crimson Guards.  
  
"So," Serpentor said as he stood in front of Scarlett and glared at her maliciously, "G.I. JOE returns once again. You have always been a thorn in my side. You never give up, do you? Don't you know when you're conquered?"  
  
Serpentor gestured toward the ruined antenna.  
  
"Do you honestly think you have beaten us? Look around. You might break the brainwashing of this country, but you have not broken Cobra. The five of you will all be summarily executed. Cobra will disappear and wait for our next opportunity. We ruled this country for many months. We know all of your secrets. We know your most intimate weaknesses. Do not think that we will hesitate to exploit them. You have won the battle, but we will be the ultimate victors."  
  
Serpentor called the Crimson Guardsmen over to his side.  
  
"Kill them all," he ordered. The Crimson Guardsmen raised their rifles at Scarlett and Mainframe.  
  
Zarana gasped in horror and threw herself in front of Scarlett and Mainframe. She held out her arms.  
  
"No," she cried. "Don't shoot."  
  
"What is this treachery?" Serpentor howled, infuriated. The Dreadnoks chuckled in amusement.  
  
"Sister," Zartan said. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Look," Zarana pleaded, "The antenna's destroyed. All the transmission equipment... demolished. Killing them won't do us any good. I say we leave them."  
  
"I'll take care of this," Zartan whispered to Serpentor as he stepped forward and pushed the two Crimson Guards aside. He stood face to face with Zarana.  
  
"Zarana, get out of the way. These Joes must die."  
  
"No," Zarana insisted, "I just don't want any more people killed."  
  
She turned to glance at Mainframe, who looked back at her with an anxious expression.  
  
"Don't you think enough people have died over this?" Zarana said.  
  
"Why, Zarana," Zartan said sarcastically, "if I didn't know better, I'd say it looks to me like you suddenly grew a heart."  
  
Zarana only blushed and stared back in silence.  
  
"Are you in love with him?" Zartan directed a scornful glance at Mainframe.  
  
"Please, spare him," Zarana begged, "spare him and his friends."  
  
Destro's walkie talkie came to life, and a frantic voice came on the radio.  
  
"My Lord Destro, we've got a problem here. The slave soldiers are rioting. They've seized weapons and--"  
  
The voice was abruptly cut off. Destro looked at the Baroness impassively. The Dreadnoks all looked at each other, disturbed.  
  
"Enough of this," Zartan said angrily.  
  
Zartan did not hesitate for another moment. He pulled out his pistol and fired a single shot into Zarana's stomach. Everyone stared in shock as Zarana crumpled to the floor in agony, shot by her own brother. Mainframe stepped forward to catch her as she fell.  
  
Before Zartan and the Crimson Guards could shoot the Joes, Snake Eyes pulled out two knives strapped to his back and hurled them at Zartan and one of the Crimson Guards. One knife landed square in the Crimson Guard's chest, killing him. Zartan saw the other knife coming and ducked quickly. The knife flew past Zartan and landed in the neck of the other Crimson Guard. Scarlett quickly grabbed the rifle lying at her feet and opened fire on the Cobras standing before her, at point blank range. All of the Cobras dove out of the way, trying to avoid getting hit, while reaching for their own guns. Zartan was shot in the chest and killed. Several slugs hit Destro in the head, bouncing off his mask, but knocking him off his feet and sending him flying backward. Ripper was killed with a shot to the head. The rest of the Cobras went scrambling for cover behind the chunks of metallic debris and the large pipes that lined parts of the rooftop. Snake Eyes and Mainframe joined the  
firefight, having picked up their weapons and started shooting. Snake Eyes remembered the two flight pods circling above them and fired on both of them, killing the pilot of one of them and sending the other flight pod fleeing after bullets pierced its engine. The flight pod belonging to the dead pilot crashed onto the roof between the Joes and the Cobras.  
  
"Serpentor!" Scarlett cried as she charged the Cobra emperor's position, firing on him as she did so. Serpentor tried to shoot as Scarlett rapidly covered the short distance between them, but the gun was knocked out of his hand as a bullet penetrated his shoulder. Scarlett, out of ammo, dove at him and smashed his face with a blow with the butt of her rifle.  
  
Scarlett forgot about the rest of the combatants as she wrestled with Serpentor. Together, they rolled along the floor, punching and clawing at each other. All of Scarlett's rage and anger focused now on Serpentor, this man who had caused the deaths of so many of her friends, as well as hundreds of innocents. She had not forgotten Shipwreck's story of how Serpentor had led an attack on G.I. JOE headquarters and gloated in front of Roadblock before cutting his throat. Desperately fighting for their lives, they rolled toward the edge of the roof, near where the antenna had been destroyed. The iron fence surrounding the roof had been destroyed in this area by the explosion. Scarlett sensed herself precariously nearing the edge. Below her, an equally intense battle was being fought as the American soldiers, freed from their brainwashing, fought with the Cobra soldiers both inside and outside the complex. Serpentor held a knife at her throat.  
  
Blood dripped down from the corners of Serpentor's mouth as he grinned maliciously at Scarlett. He was trying with all his strength to shove the knife through her throat as he lay on top of her.  
  
"Farewell, worm," he cried as Scarlett resisted Serpentor's stabbing motion with both of her hands.  
  
Suddenly, Scarlett shifted her weight beneath Serpentor and pushed him toward the edge with all of her strength. Serpentor gave an unholy shriek of terror as he flew off the edge of the roof.  
  
"Serpentor!" the Baroness cried as she watched the emperor go over the edge.  
  
Destro joined the Baroness behind the large pipe that she was using for cover.  
  
"I suggest we leave this place now," Destro said.  
  
Below them, on the ground level, everyone watched as Serpentor fell the ten stories to his death. He landed in front of the main entrance to the building. Until this moment, the Cobras had held the advantage. They had shot nearly half of the revolting American soldiers, while suffering huge losses themselves. Still, the Cobra forces outnumbered and outgunned their opponents. They believed in what they were fighting for. They believed in their leader, who had inspired them all with a grand vision of world conquest. Now, as their emperor lay in a pool of blood on the ground, the Cobras were stunned. Their leader was suddenly gone. They had lost their belief in their impending victory. The tables turned, the upper hand now passed to the American rebels.  
  
Destro knew that Serpentor could have recovered from the loss of this fortress. He knew that Serpentor, who possessed the genius of the greatest leaders of history, could have snatched a victory out from the clutches of defeat. Serpentor would have found a way to fight back and emerge victorious.  
  
But he, Destro, was not Serpentor.  
  
"Come with me, Baroness," Destro said. "We'll start over again. Together."  
  
The Baroness, who had been shot in her left arm and clutched it tightly with her good arm, nodded in pain. Destro fired a few shots at Snake Eyes and Mainframe, forcing them to duck behind the pipes they were using as cover, as he led the Baroness to the stairwell exit.  
  
Scarlett, still lying on her stomach, peered over the edge of the roof. The Cobra forces were in full retreat. Demoralized by the loss of their emperor and the destruction of their brainwashing facility, the Cobra forces now fled in a disorderly fashion. The American forces fired on them as they fled. Everywhere Scarlett looked, she could see destroyed HISS tanks and burning STUNs, as well as innumerable dead bodies, most of them Cobra.  
  
The battle on the rooftop was over. Buzzer and Torch had both followed the lead of Destro and the Baroness, fleeing for their lives. Snake Eyes walked over to Scarlett and offered his hand. Smiling, Scarlett reached out to him and Snake Eyes pulled her to her feet. Together, they walked over to Mainframe, who was kneeling next to Zarana, cradling her in his arms.  
  
"Mainframe," Zarana said weakly, "is it over?"  
  
"It's over, we won," Mainframe said, tears rolling down his face, "thanks to you. You're going to be okay. We'll get you to a hospital."  
  
"My life with Cobra is over," Zarana said, "my brothers are gone. There's nothing left for me."  
  
"Please," Zarana went on, "wherever you go, take me with you."  
  
"We're together now. We always will be," Mainframe said. "I love you."  
  
Zarana gently reached out with an arm and with it, she pulled down Mainframe's head toward hers. They shared a tender kiss, oblivious to the fact that Scarlett and Snake Eyes were standing nearby, watching them.  
  
Mainframe picked up Zarana and walked toward the stairwell with her in his arms. Scarlett heard Lifeline groan as he came to. Lifeline surveyed his surroundings with shock.  
  
"Wow," he said, "I'm not sure I want to know what just happened."  
  
Lifeline looked to Jinx, who was still unconscious. Snake Eyes walked over to Jinx and gingerly picked her up. Together, Scarlett and Lifeline walked toward the stairwell, followed by Mainframe, who carried Zarana, and Snake Eyes, who carried Jinx. Down below, perhaps Lady Jaye, Falcon, Cover Girl, and Stalker were alive and well. Scarlett felt happy that she would soon see her lost friends once again. But she knew that nothing would ever be the same. G.I. JOE would be forever changed, she knew it. And now Cobra had been broken. Cobra's rule over this country would soon be overthrown, if it hadn't been already. Their nation was once again free...  
  
...But at what cost?  
  
To be concluded... 


	10. "All Good Things..."

Over a period of several days following the death of Serpentor and the overthrow of Cobra's control, the scattered remnants of the once mighty G.I. JOE team returned to their home base in Staten Island. No one understood what had happened, or how the changes in their lives had come about. No one in the entire nation understood the full truth of what had happened. The American people felt as if they had woken up from a long nightmare. They vaguely recalled the things they had done, the way they had been completely subservient to Cobra, the way they had betrayed and destroyed one another for the sake of Cobra. Although the American people had been coerced by Cobra's mind control, they could not escape a persistent feeling of guilt, a feeling that blood was on their hands and that no amount of washing would erase the stain.  
  
Two weeks passed, and Scarlett found herself reading a new message from the generals at the Pentagon, an order to disband the G.I. JOE team. In the process of recovering from the long national nightmare, the federal government found itself in enormous disarray. The entire organization of the armed forces had been perverted by Cobra, and billions of dollars had been lost. The terrorist threat facing the country had not subsided. In fact, it had grown. However, with the defeat of Cobra, the G.I. JOE team had now become less necessary. Other military units would now assume the primary task of fighting terrorists around the world. In short, G.I. JOE had become expendable...  
  
"As you've all known for the past few days, we're being shut down because of budget cuts," Scarlett later announced to the assembled G.I. JOE team, assembled in the primary staging area.  
  
Scarlett looked around. She recognized many familiar faces... Stalker, Lady Jaye, Falcon, Cover Girl, Shipwreck, Dusty, Cross Country, Alpine, Bazooka, Ace, Dial Tone, and Spirit were among the few remaining veterans. They were joined by Snake Eyes, Mainframe, Lifeline, and Jinx. Lifeline and Jinx still wore bandages around their arms for the wounds they had received during the battle for Cobra's fortress. There were a handful of newer members, too, recent recruits who had never really been active participants with the team. Scarlett did not even know the names of half of the new recruits.  
  
Scarlett had told some of the other Joes the story of the last six months. It was a wild tale, a tale of Cobra ruling over America, a tale of a determined band of fighters who resisted and overcame overwhelming odds to liberate their nation.  
  
In short, it was a story that no one outside of G.I. JOE would believe.  
  
"Hawk once said," Scarlett said, her voice faltering, "that a soldier's duty is to do the unthinkable and be forgotten."  
  
The veterans in the group nodded solemnly in silent agreement with the words of their deceased commander.  
  
"You have tonight to pack your belongings. Your train and airplane tickets home are all ready. If any of you need to stay here for a few days longer, that can be arranged. The official base closing ceremony will be tomorrow at 1700 hours. That is all. You are all dismissed."  
  
* * *  
  
Scarlett heard a soft knock on the door of her living quarters. She looked at her watch. It was nearly 2300 hours.  
  
Opening the door, Scarlett found herself face to face with Lady Jaye.  
  
"Lady Jaye," Scarlett said in surprise.  
  
"Did I wake you? I'm sorry."  
  
"No, I wasn't sleeping."  
  
"I know it's late," Lady Jaye said, "but I couldn't sleep. I was wondering if we could talk for a while. It's our last night as G.I. JOE..."  
  
"Of course," Scarlett smiled, "come in."  
  
Scarlett opened the door fully, allowing Lady Jaye to come into her room.  
  
"Would you like something to drink?" Scarlett offered.  
  
"Got any wine?" Lady Jaye asked hopefully.  
  
"I got a bottle of rose," Scarlett said, walking over to her refrigerator.  
  
"Let's have it," Lady Jaye said.  
  
The two women sat next to each other on Scarlett's couch and shared their last conversation as teammates.  
  
"It's so hard," Lady Jaye said. "There's this six month period of time that feels like it was stolen from me. I vaguely remember being a slave worker for Cobra. But the hardest thing of all is that Flint's death is still fresh on my mind. It feels like it wasn't that long ago that he died in my arms on that chopper."  
  
Scarlett put an arm around Lady Jaye's shoulder.  
  
"It's okay, I understand what you're going through," she said.  
  
"What are you going to do tomorrow when the time comes for us to go our separate ways?" Lady Jaye asked.  
  
"Well, I... honestly, I don't know," Scarlett said. "I guess I was thinking of going back to Atlanta and seeing my family again. Maybe I could become a teacher... for the martial arts, I mean."  
  
"See, that's good, at least you have a plan, a direction," Lady Jaye said. "I don't know what I will do. I always thought that after G.I. JOE, Flint and I would be together. I loved him. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him."  
  
"I know," Scarlett said.  
  
"But he's gone," Lady Jaye said miserably, "and I feel a great void, an emptiness. I don't know how to fill it. I don't even know what I want to do. The army is my life. Maybe that's what I'll end up doing... I'll become an officer and make the army my career."  
  
"I'm sure you'll be fine, whatever you decide to do," Scarlett said.  
  
"I guess what I'm trying to say is this..." Lady Jaye began. "We've been in G.I. JOE for a long time. We were one great family. Do you remember all those missions we went on together, all the adventures? We always made it back. Nothing was impossible for us. We never gave up, we fought for freedom, and for the most part, we succeeded. We were the stuff of legends.  
  
"But there comes a time in your life when you realize that all good things come to an end. Nothing lasts forever. The friends you knew and played with in childhood leave you, and you rarely see them again. The movies, television shows, books, tapes, and toys that you liked as a kid fade away. You outgrow a lot of the things you liked when you were younger. Some of these things exist only in your memory. You start to question if these things were actually for real. When I was young, I never realized that the good times I had were to be the happiest times of my life. There will never be another high school prom. There will never be another `first kiss...' or another college graduation day. People never understand that they are experiencing the happiest times of their lives while they are living through them. It's only years afterward that they see this, and they are filled with longing, nostalgia, and sometimes, even regret."  
  
Scarlett watched her friend in silence as she slowly sipped her glass of wine. Lady Jaye continued.  
  
"I never understood until now that my years as part of G.I. JOE were the best times I ever had. I wish there were a way for me to go back and relive these times. I wish I could cherish each memory and make it last forever. All this time, I felt like I was only doing a job, doing my duty. But I see now that there was more to it than that. I'll miss the camaraderie of our team, the way we would crack jokes and share a few good laughs after each mission. I'll miss the practical jokes we played on each other. I'll miss the times we would go out on the town together. Most of all, I'll miss the way Flint smiled at me with that adorable look in his eye. He always made me feel like... like I was special."  
  
"You still are special," Scarlett said warmly.  
  
Lady Jaye smiled, laughed, and wiped a tear from her eye.  
  
"Nothing will be the same for us again. So many of our dearest friends are gone. The world has changed. People have changed. And now our team is being disbanded. Some of us may never see each other again. Isn't that a sad thought? One day, when we're older, we'll look back with wonder and ask ourselves if there really was a time when we were Joes fighting with Cobra, when we saw things in black and white, when the battle lines were clearly drawn and we knew the difference between good and evil. We'll have nothing left to remind us of our time in G.I. JOE except for our personal ghosts.  
  
"I don't want that time to come," Lady Jaye said, putting down her empty glass and looking at Scarlett.  
  
"I don't want it to end."  
  
Lady Jaye broke down in tears, and Scarlett put her arms around her to comfort her friend. Scarlett felt her own tears welling up as she patted Lady Jaye on the back, and she fought her tears just as she fought the growing conviction that she shared in Lady Jaye's feelings.  
  
* * *  
  
With the setting sun as a backdrop, the entire G.I. JOE team assembled outside the motor pool and watched Scarlett and Stalker take down the American flag that for years had proudly stood guard over their headquarters.  
  
As she and Stalker stood in the center of a circle formed by the congregated team, folding the flag, Lady Jaye's words echoed in her mind and in her heart...  
  
...One day, when we're older, we'll look back with wonder and as ourselves if there really was a time when we were G.I. JOE...  
  
Everyone looked to Scarlett, expecting her to say something to put a note of finality to the ceremony. Scarlett felt a lump in her throat as she searched for the right words to say. She looked into the eyes of each of her teammates gathered around her. Different memories and emotions came back to her, one by one, as she looked into the eyes of each of her friends.  
  
"It was an honor to serve with you all, and I'll always remember you," Scarlett said. "We fought and bled and shed tears together. We were more than a team... we were a family. I gave my all to this family, and I know you did the same. You are my comrades... my friends... my brothers and sisters..."  
  
Scarlett looked at Snake Eyes.  
  
"...my everything..."  
  
* * *  
  
The time for good-bye had come at last. Scarlett watched several Joes gather around the bus that would take them to the airport, where they would be flying home. Falcon, who had an arm around Jinx's shoulders, planned to bring her home to meet some of his relatives. Mainframe would be staying in New York for a while as he waited for Zarana to recover. He had spent nearly all his free time at her bedside in the hospital.  
  
"How will it work?" Scarlett asked Mainframe.  
  
"We'll find a way. I'll find a job in computers."  
  
"What about Zarana? We've still got a huge file on her..."  
  
"She can be whoever she wants to be," Mainframe said with a knowing wink.  
  
Scarlett understood and smiled conspiratorially.  
  
"I wish you both the best," Scarlett said, giving Mainframe a hug.  
  
Lifeline walked up, and Scarlett turned to him.  
  
"Thanks for everything, Lifeline. You took care of me when I was near death. You saved my life. I won't ever forget our time together."  
  
He had sacrificed his own personal beliefs to save her, Scarlett knew.  
  
"I wasn't about to let you die," Lifeline said.  
  
"I just want you to know I don't think less of you. I will always have tremendous respect for you," Scarlett said, referring to the time Lifeline had shot the Viper to save her.  
  
"I know," Lifeline said.  
  
As Scarlett neared the bus, she saw Snake Eyes approaching her. For a long time, they stopped and looked at each other. The two had not spoken since the previous afternoon, and they had not had a chance to discuss their future plans.  
  
"Yes, Snake Eyes?" Scarlett held her breath, praying that Snake Eyes would ask her to stay with him. She wanted to be with him more than anything, especially now that G.I. JOE was no more. She had her ticket to Atlanta but did not really want to use it.  
  
"I'm taking a train to Virginia," Snake Eyes signed to her. "I have a cabin in the mountains..."  
  
"Yes?" Scarlett smiled. "You have something you want to ask me?"  
  
"Will you come with me?" Snake Eyes asked.  
  
Scarlett threw down her duffel bag and threw her arms around Snake Eyes. Snake Eyes was a bit surprised at first by her response, but he soon put his arms around her and held her tightly.  
  
"I thought you'd never ask," Scarlett said, bubbly with happiness. "Of course I'll go with you."  
  
* * *  
  
"You say you want diamonds in a ring of gold,  
  
Your story to remain untold,  
  
Your love not to grow cold,  
  
But all the promises we make,  
  
From the cradle to the grave,  
  
When all I want is you..." --U2  
  
* * *  
  
Without a care in the world, Scarlett and Snake Eyes lived together in Snake Eyes' cabin, high in the mountains. They had no responsibilities, and they felt fantastic. There were no duties, no missions. All they had to do was wake up in the morning and enjoy each day as it came. Scarlett had never known such peace before in her entire life. Every day, she and Snake Eyes went on long walks through the wilderness. Sometimes they trained together in the martial arts. Snake Eyes began teaching her some of the techniques he had learned as a ninja.  
  
But Scarlett's greatest joy was in the quiet time they had together. They would find a calm and isolated place where they could talk about anything and everything. When Scarlett and Snake Eyes conversed with each other, they spoke to each other almost as a husband and wife spoke to each other. They shared their every thought and dream. They lay bare to each other their feelings, right down to the smallest details.  
  
"I have a recurring dream," Snake Eyes signed to her one day as they sat near the shore of an enormous, clear, blue lake.  
  
In this dream, Snake Eyes could speak with his true voice, and it was such a wonderful sound to his own ears to hear himself again. Snake Eyes felt as if he could run through the streets shouting for joy at being able to speak, or at being able to show his face again. His face was whole again. There were no scars. There was no sign that he had ever been in that chopper crash over the desert. And the people in the streets of his town looked at him strangely, not understanding.  
  
"Look at me, hear me," Snake Eyes cried for joy, "I'm whole again. I'm human again."  
  
At the end of the street, a beautiful, shapely young woman with long, red hair stood waiting for him.  
  
"Shana," Snake Eyes said happily. The two of them ran to each other and embraced joyously.  
  
"I love you," Shana said tenderly. "I always have, and I always will."  
  
Between kisses, Snake Eyes held Shana's face in his hands and began speaking to her as he always longed to speak to her.  
  
"I want you to meet my family," he said, turning to see his parents and his sister standing not far behind him.  
  
"You're every bit as beautiful as my brother described," Terry, his twin sister, said with tears in her eyes.  
  
Snake Eyes' parents were speechless. They were both so thrilled that their son had found the love of his life, and that they were here to share his happiness with him.  
  
"We were all together for the first time. My parents and my sister loved you. They saw how beautiful you were on the outside, but they sensed your kindness and sweetness as well. We were a family; my family became yours."  
  
Snake Eyes shook his head as he sidearmed a small pebble into the lake and watched it skip over the surface of the water.  
  
Scarlett leaned against him as she sat next to him and put her arm around his shoulders.  
  
"I know how much it would have meant to you to have me meet your family," Scarlett said. "But some things just weren't meant to be in this world. I don't know why. It doesn't make it right or fair. It must be part of a pattern. What if we could have held onto everything that would have made our lives perfect? Would we be as close as we are today if things in the past had happened differently?"  
  
Snake Eyes and Scarlett looked at each other for a long time, pondering that question.  
  
"I would have loved to meet your family," Scarlett said. "I would love to see you whole again, able to freely go out in public with me, without the latex mask you have to wear when we go out. I would love to hear your voice now more than any sound in creation. I know you wish you could offer more to me. I know you wish you could lay the whole world at my feet. But I want you to know that I'm content, Snake Eyes. You don't have to promise me a perfect life. You don't have to give me diamonds in a ring of gold."  
  
Scarlett reached over to put her hand on Snake Eyes' scarred face. She caressed his face gently.  
  
"I want you to know that I'm happy here with you. I'm content to spend the rest of my life with you, just the way you are. Believe me when I say this."  
  
They leaned toward each other to savor a sweet, languorous kiss.  
  
"All I want is you."  
  
* * *  
  
For two months, Scarlett and Snake Eyes lived together. They felt themselves growing closer in amazing ways. Scarlett felt as if her spirit had joined with Snake Eyes. They knew each other's thoughts and feelings without even vocalizing them. Every night, Scarlett would take Snake Eyes' bed at his insistence, while he slept on the couch in front of the fireplace.  
  
One night, Scarlett invited Snake Eyes to share her bed with her. She let him know that it was an open invitation, and that he didn't have to feel pressured to come to bed with her.  
  
"I want to share with you everything I have to give," Scarlett said that night. "As long as we both live, I will give you my body and soul. All of it. I offer you all of me, and I do it freely. I do it because I love you."  
  
Scarlett said nothing more that night, or on the following nights. Every night, Snake Eyes lay on the couch with his pillow and blanket. He trembled at the thought of physical intimacy with Scarlett. He dreamed of her lying in bed, waiting for him. The joy and pleasure of being one with Scarlett, when he had never before even seen her nude, haunted him day and night. Heavenly pleasure was there for him to reach out and take hold of it, if he only had the courage to do so.  
  
One week later, Snake Eyes finally found the courage to go. He stood in the doorway of the bedroom as Scarlett retired for the night in her pajamas. Scarlett turned to look at him, and she knew that the night had come at last.  
  
"Come here," Scarlett reached out for his hand and drew him into the room. She put both of her arms around his neck and drew him in for a slow, long, and passionate kiss. Breaking off the kiss at long last, Scarlett lay herself down on her bed and welcomed Snake Eyes with open arms.  
  
They drank in each other for the first time.  
  
Scarlett felt as if she were now living the dream she had dreamt of her and Snake Eyes. She knew now that it had been more than a dream. It had been a vision of the future. Together, they joined as one. They were closer and more intimate now than she had ever thought possible. Together, Snake Eyes and Scarlett ran out of the forest of darkness and into the meadow of green fields and brightly colored wildflowers. It was a gorgeous, verdant field of spring that they now ran through, hand in hand. This time, Snake Eyes did not vanish. His grip on her hand strengthened rather than weakened. A powerful wind blew through the meadow with tremendous force, sending the wildflowers flying upward toward the sun in a colorful spiral. The two of them felt themselves too being swept upwards with the wind.  
  
Scarlett now could look down at the ground beneath her feet. She felt no alarm or fear, only supreme rapture. Together, they flew upward like eagles beating powerful wings. The meadow below them gave way to enormous mountains covered with forest, and an enormous lake lay beyond. She could see so much now, and it brought her great joy. Together, Scarlett and Snake Eyes ascended ever higher, always going upward toward the shining sun, until they reached a point at which they could go no further. Every muscle in Scarlett's body contracted. Her back arched as far as it would go. Her arms stretched outward, toward the sun, straining to reach that burning center of warmth...  
  
Naked beneath the bed covers, Scarlett rested her head on Snake Eyes' bare chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating. Scarlett reached one arm across Snake Eyes' chest and took his hand. Snake Eyes' other hand was wrapped around her body.  
  
They lay in bed together for a long time, gazing out the window at the full moon shining in the night sky.  
  
"I want you to meet my family," Scarlett said softly.  
  
Snake Eyes looked at her, as if to ask if she was serious.  
  
"Of course, silly, I'm serious. They know what you've done for me, but they've never met you. I think they'll love you. I want my family to become yours. I wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
Scarlett squeezed Snake Eyes' hand and leaned upward to kiss him.  
  
"One day, when we have a family of our own, we'll both look back at all that we lost. And we'll both be thankful that we have each other... to go through life together, grow old together, and share in all the pains and joys. I think we'll be able to cherish each other all the more because of the pain we went through to find one another."  
  
Scarlett smiled at her friend... her lover... her soul mate.  
  
"Don't you?"  
  
Snake Eyes smiled in agreement and held her close. Everything Scarlett had said would come to pass, he knew it. One day, they would marry and have children of their own. One day they would embark on the life they had dreamed of as children, long before they had ever laid eyes on one another. It would not be a perfect life, but it would be a good life...  
  
...good enough...  
  
Scarlett cried out Snake Eyes' name as they joined together again as one. It was as much a spiritual union as it was a physical one. They held onto each other tightly, each one thinking that they were experiencing one of the happiest moments of their lives, and truly believing with all their hearts that they would hold on to this moment and make it last for all time.  
  
The End 


End file.
